Hilary Thesmar, PhD, RD, Chief Food and Product Safety Officer and Vice President, Food Safety Programs
In late January, food safety professionals from FMI retail and wholesale member companies gathered in Scottsdale, AZ to discuss the 2017 food safety initiatives. The discussion is part of a systematic process that the FMI Food Protection Committee (FPC) goes through each year to determine its annual priorities. The priority initiatives typically mirror the top issues that the industry is facing in food safety and will be the focus of the committee’s time and resources to develop programs and materials that will make a measurable impact in retail food safety.
The 2017 Priority Initiatives are:
- Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Implementation and Compliance
- Menu Labeling and Enforcement
- Recalls
- Listeria Prevention at Retail
- Cleaning and Sanitation Practices
These initiatives represent some of the largest regulatory implementation challenges that retailers and wholesalers have seen in decades. Food safety professionals are implementing multiple FSMA regulations as well as implementing menu labeling regulations in retail stores. This level of federal regulatory oversight is unprecedented and the implementation challenges are impacting many departments within retail organizations. The FMI Food Protection Committee plans to develop tools to assist with compliance and will form workgroups to address specific areas of concern.
Recalls, Listeria prevention at retail, and cleaning and sanitation practices are ongoing food safety issues for retailers. The FMI Food Protection Committee plans to address these issues by collaborating with other organizations, associations, regulatory agencies, and subject matter experts in order to make advances in science and technology, develop innovative food safety solutions and increase adoption of best practices.
The FMI Food Safety Committee and the FMI Board of Directors has reviewed and approved the 2017 initiatives. The Food Protection Committee (FPC) is committed to food safety and enhancing the industry understanding of food safety issues. The FPC is already busy working on the initiatives and they are hopeful that their work will make a measurable difference in the year to come. The work of the Food Protection Committee (FPC) is available for all retailers and wholesalers to utilize to improve their food safety programs. To see the resources developed by the FPC as a result of initiatives from prior years, visit the FMI Food Safety Resource Page.
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