If you feel your company is not completely ready for FSMA, you’re not alone. In a recent SafetyChain Software and The Acheson Group (TAG) survey, more than two-thirds of respondents (68 percent) said they were “somewhat ready” for FSMA. The survey included more than 400 respondents, including food processors and manufacturers, produce growers/packagers/shippers, warehouse and distribution companies, animal food manufacturers, domestic suppliers, foodservice companies, retailers, import manufacturers, and import and domestic brokers. Only 25 percent of respondents indicated they were ready for FSMA, and 6 percent said they weren’t ready at all. Be that as it may, FDA isn’t quite yet ready either. Although the guidance documents would help processors understand what they must do to comply, they have yet to be released, holding up the process, according to David Acheson, CEO of TAG.
Meanwhile, it’s evident that the TAG/SafetyChain poll is a pretty accurate picture of processors’ readiness for FSMA. “Only a few companies fully understand the complexities of these regulations and what they need to accomplish to be compliant with FSMA,” states Jim Cook, food scientific and regulatory affairs manager for SGS, a worldwide organization that offers training and education for cGMP and HARPC and auditing programs for major GFSI schemes.