PMA Offers New Resources To Help Industry Navigate FDA Inspections

The food safety team at the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) has developed new resources, including a June 8 webinar and how-to guide, to help members of the industry navigate their rights and responsibilities for when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducts regulatory inspections at a food facility or farm.

"There is no question that our industry must be committed to food safety, because so much is at stake. These new PMA resources help produce businesses to be prepared for food safety regulatory inspections, and to politely but firmly manage the process,” says Gurmail Mudahar, Ph.D., vice president of research and development, and food safety for Tanimura & Antle. Mudahar is also a member of PMA’s Science & Technology Committee. “Being prepared with a food safety plan that you can be proud of—as well as with up-to-date records that are readily available for review—are the keys to quickly and painlessly getting through an inspection.”

PMA’s food safety team partnered with the international food and drug law firm, Keller & Heckman, to produce the short, easy-to-understand Food Regulatory Inspection Manual. Designed for nonlawyers, the manual informs, guides and provides an employee training reference for produce industry farms and food facilities. It includes practical information and checklists to help produce businesses prepare for an FDA inspection, as well as what to do during and after an inspection. The guide is designed for C-suite executives and frontline food safety managers alike, and is relevant to businesses across the supply chain to develop a company inspection manual.

“An FDA inspection need not be a stressful experience. The key to a successful inspection is preparation—and the time to prepare is right now, before FDA knocks,” says Leslie Krasny, Esq., the Keller & Heckman attorney who authored the guide.

PMA will host a webinar featuring Krasny on June 8, at 2:00 p.m. EST, to introduce the new regulatory inspection guide and give industry members the opportunity to ask questions. Registration for the webinar is free, though preregistration is required. The webinar will be recorded and posted online for on-demand access.

“We know our industry has many questions about FSMA. Our team has been working hard to provide as much clarity as possible, starting with a wealth of resources on pma.com that are available whenever you are,” says Dr. Jim Gorny, vice president of food safety and technology, PMA.