FDA Pilot Program Will Evaluate Potential for Single Inspection Scheme for Grade “A” and non-Grade “A” Facilities
November 16, 2017
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a pilot program on Nov. 1 that will consider a single inspection scheme for facilities that process both Grade “A” and non-Grade “A” milk products.
Because of the extensive work by NMPF and other industry stakeholders at the National Conference for Interstate Milk Shipments in both 2015 and 2017, facilities regulated by the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) are compliant with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and will continue to be inspected and regulated by the PMO. However, most dairy processing facilities (more than 90 percent) manufacture both Grade “A” and non-Grade “A” products. An unanswered question has been how to reconcile the separate regulatory and enforcement schemes for these types of mixed-product facilities.
The details of the pilot program have yet to be determined. NMPF staff will continue to engage with FDA and advocate for a common-sense approach that does not put additional regulatory burdens on the industry.
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