04.01.13
The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) has publicly released a report it submitted to FDA that focuses on the outcomes of two pilot projects designed to test and study various product tracing practices for fresh produce and processed foods.
This report on the pilots, which was required by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), offers recommendations to FDA on how to improve product tracing in a way that benefits all stakeholders. The report provides important findings to help regulators resolve foodborne illness outbreaks earlier and enable the food industry to respond to them quicker. As a result, the public health impact of an outbreak would be greatly reduced. Based on eight case studies of previous outbreaks, improved product tracing had the potential to reduce the public health impact by up to 55% of total illnesses and reduce the economic impact by up to $14 million per outbreak.
The results of the pilots also suggest that if a food company improves its ability to trace products, that company can expect to achieve improved business processes, increased supply chain confidence and possibly expand its markets. FDA is soliciting input on the IFT report and will issue its own recommendations in a report to Congress.
This report on the pilots, which was required by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), offers recommendations to FDA on how to improve product tracing in a way that benefits all stakeholders. The report provides important findings to help regulators resolve foodborne illness outbreaks earlier and enable the food industry to respond to them quicker. As a result, the public health impact of an outbreak would be greatly reduced. Based on eight case studies of previous outbreaks, improved product tracing had the potential to reduce the public health impact by up to 55% of total illnesses and reduce the economic impact by up to $14 million per outbreak.
The results of the pilots also suggest that if a food company improves its ability to trace products, that company can expect to achieve improved business processes, increased supply chain confidence and possibly expand its markets. FDA is soliciting input on the IFT report and will issue its own recommendations in a report to Congress.