According to a report at The Progressive Farmer, several national and state groups continue to educate U.S. grain facilities about compliance with new rules for the handling, transportation and storage of food, and animal feed, that are part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Many are still working with the FDA on behalf of the ag industry to clarify several of the new complicated rules, with National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) and the Minnesota Grain and Feed Association (MGFA) being two of those groups.
The FSMA is changing the way we think about animal food safety in the feed industry. Many in the feed and pet food industries are uncertain about what the rule requires and how it applies to their situation.
The NGFA hosted 16 regional seminars in 12 states during 2016 and 2017 to educate industry members on the far-reaching new feed safety rules. The seminars were conducted in cooperation with state feed regulatory agencies, and state and regional associations affiliated with NGFA, to help industry members understand the changes, requirements and appropriate exemptions included in the FSMA rules.
At a seminar during the 2018 MGFA annual convention on March 7, David Fairfield, NGFA senior vice president of Feed Services, told a group of over 200 elevator managers and farmers that "feed is food" is the new standard. He noted that FSMA rules apply to facilities required to register as a "food facility" with FDA under Bioterrorism Act requirements.
"Feed mills, grain elevators, grain processors that manufacture, pack process or hold food for humans, or animals, must register with the FDA. You need to understand your obligations," added Fairfield.
Read the full report at The Progressive Farmer by clicking here.
