This year’s Food Quality and Safety Symposium highlighted how far we have come in our food safety programs, and the work that is still to be done under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Our industry has come together to create and implement so many programs that, in many areas, FSMA is not new — we’ve been building the foundation for many, many years.
If you are a processor who has had any of the third-party certifications, you have been building the foundation of your food safety program. And with our pasteurization program, we are ahead of many others in the food industry.
If you are a grower, you will find that many of the requirements are very similar to our “Good Agricultural Practices for Almond Growers,” and if you are GAP audited, the Produce Safety rule should be very familiar.
We’ve got a great food safety foundation, to start. There is always work to be done, and our Food Quality and Safety Symposium presents new, fresh information to equip us with the tools to build on that foundation.
FDA has promised to provide implementation and compliance guides, but until those are made available, I urge you to view the presentations from the Symposium at Almonds.com/FoodSafetySymposium for some insight and interpretations from our food safety partners.
Sincerely,
Brian Dunning, Chairman
Almond Quality and Food Safety Committee
