The Food and Drug Administration last week announced the availability of a new, voluntary tool designed to help food companies create a food safety plan for their facilities. IDFA members participated in the development of the downloadable software, called the Food Safety Plan Builder, which guides users through every step of creating a food safety plan, as required by the Food Safety Modernization Act.

“The Food Safety Plan Builder tool is useful for dairy companies who’d like to go through, step-by-step, what FDA is looking for in a food safety plan,” said John Allan, IDFA vice president of regulatory affairs and international standards. “IDFA encourages food safety professionals looking to identify gaps and areas for enhancement in their current plans to use the tool, and to improve food safety upstream and downstream by sharing it with suppliers and customers, as appropriate.”

The Food Safety Plan Builder is consistent with existing FDA guidance and regulations, but FDA includes a disclaimer that it cannot guarantee that use of the tool will necessarily ensure compliance with FDA requirements. “The quality and robustness of the tool’s output—a written food safety plan—is determined by the quality and depth of information the user puts in,” said Allan. “This tool, however, could go a long way in helping dairy businesses, especially those without a strong knowledge of FDA’s requirements, to put together a comprehensive food safety plan that’s on the right track.”

The Food Safety Plan Builder is available to download for free on the FDA website.

For more information, contact Allan at jallan@idfa.org.