FDA "Food Safety Plan Builder" Released
Could be helpful to provide some insight, or a tool that encourages overkill. I'll try to use it at some point here and give a review.
Find it here.
FDA Launches Food Safety Plan Builder to Help Businesses Comply with FSMA Requirements
August 22, 2017
To help businesses meet the requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Final Rule for Preventive Controls for Human Food, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is releasing a new software tool to help owners and operators of food facilities create a food safety plan specific to their facilities.
The Food Safety Plan Builder (FSPB) is a free software application, developed by FDA, that businesses can download from the FDA’s website to guide them, step-by-step, through the creation of a food safety plan, as required by FSMA.
The user is taken through a series of sections (tabs) in the application that prompt the user to answer questions and/or fill in information specific to their business and facility. Once all the tabs have been completed, the file may be saved or printed, and the firm will have a food safety plan to use in its operations and to provide when the FDA conducts an inspection.
While the Food Safety Plan Builder was primarily designed for use by small manufacturers, which may have limited resources, any size manufacturer can opt to use it. Although manufacturers are not required to use the program, the FDA designed this program to help companies organize their food safety information and minimize the burden of creating their food safety plan.
To assist users, the FDA has also developed an overview video about the application, as well as individual videos that demonstrate how to navigate the various tabs. These videos are posted on Youtube and may be accessed via the Food Safety Plan Builder webpage. The FDA has also provided a User Guide with individual chapters devoted to each tab. Manufacturers with questions about how to use the tool can access further assistance by contacting the FDA through the email address FoodSafetyPlanBuilder@fda.hhs.gov.
The program and educational materials are modeled after the successful Food Defense Plan Builder, which was created to assist owners and operators of food facilities with developing personalized food defense plans for their facilities.
Additional Information:
- Food Safety Plan Builder
- FSPB Videos
- Building a Customized Plan to Help Ensure Food Safety
- Contact Information: FoodSafetyPlanBuilder@fda.hhs.gov
I found this and used it. It seemed very thorough and as F3 stated a bit of overkill particularly for a company that employs 80 people total. My question is since this was designed by the FDA will it be good enough for an Auditor?
I found this and used it. It seemed very thorough and as F3 stated a bit of overkill particularly for a company that employs 80 people total. My question is since this was designed by the FDA will it be good enough for an Auditor?
Like any other food safety plan template, it's only as good as what you put into it, aka your honest hazard analysis. And like all FDA provided guidance:
Guidance documents for industry do not establish legally enforceable rights or responsibilities and are not legally binding on the public or the agency. Rather, they explain how the agency believes the statutes and regulations apply to certain regulated activities.
Really FDA just enforces what they want out of guidance, but following their guidance provides no guarantee that you're doing the right thing.
I should have clarified I wondered it would be good enough from a documentation stand point for an SQF auditor. Any opinion?
I think this is a great tool. I wonder though if it is missing requirement to address hazards based on risk and severity??? Am I missing something..I didn't see that step.
I think this is a great tool. I wonder though if it is missing requirement to address hazards based on risk and severity??? Am I missing something..I didn't see that step.
I mean to say likelihood and severity of each risk.
I see this was released some time ago, has anyone used the program and want to share some feedback? I found it this morning and was cuious to start using it.
I used it (only because SQF demanded it as we don't export sigh)
I found it to be comprehensive enough and user friendly
The 2 auditors liked it very much as it produces charts and includes mediation steps