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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) makes doing business in the food and beverage industry challenging by imposing increasingly strict Codes of Federal Regulations (CFR).
Despite the "food and drug" part of their name, the FDA regulates more than just ingestible food and drink products, and if you're in the life sciences industry, much of your industry is also subject to remaining FDA compliant.
What the FDA Regulates
The Code of Federal Regulations
To make regulation easier for the FDA, the Code of Federal Regulations is divided into 50 titles that address almost every industry. Titles are subdivided into parts and parts are subdivided into sections. The majority of companies in the food and beverage industry fall under the Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, abbreviated CFR 21.
What that Means for Food and Beverage Companies
While CFR 21 is broken down into 1,499 parts, most food and beverage companies are primarily concerned with CFR 21 Section 120. CFR Title 21 Section 120 involves very stringent practices concerning the storage, packaging, labeling, and recording of your food and beverage products. Section 120.6(c) states, “Each processor shall maintain Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP) records that, at a minimum, document the monitoring and corrections ... [and that] these records are subject to the recordkeeping requirements of 120.12.”
Disregarding Section 120 can prove costly. Recently, a food manufacturing company was fined $125,000 for violating the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), which encompasses Section 120.
Getting Help with Compliance
Don't let your company suffer the same fate – let Southeast Computer Solutions help. We can make FDA compliance easier with an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system specifically designed for use in the food and beverage industry. This software offers easy tracking of product packaging, a more comprehensive oversight of shelf life and expiration dates, and tracking of by-products. Our software also reduces record-keeping costs by collecting and presenting data more quickly and accurately.
If you'd like to learn more about FDA HACCP, please contact us today.
About Southeast Computer Solutions
Southeast Computer Solutions is based in Miami, Florida, and has additional operations in Mexico. For over 30 years, we have positively impacted the success of small and mid-sized businesses with effective business management implementations that improve our clients’ operations. We listen, we are accessible, and we care. Learn more by visiting our website or calling 305-556-4697.
