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Sayler Receives FDA Honor for Dairy HACCP Work Congratulations to IDFA Director of Regulatory Affairs Allen Sayler, who was recently honored by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for his work as a member of the National Conference of Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS) HACCP Committee Pilot Plant Evaluation Team. In addition to Sayler, committee members included Randy Arbaugh, FDA; John Beers, Virginia Department of Agriculture; Richard Graham, State of Louisiana; Steve Sims, FDA; Dr. John Rushing, North Carolina State University; and Dr. Bill Sveum, Kraft Foods. At an awards ceremony on June 13, Sayler and his colleagues received FDA's Group Recognition Award "for exceptional teamwork across FDA organizations and our stakeholders in evaluation of an NCIMS HACCP pilot as a voluntary alternative to assure the safety of Grade A milk products.""You have been chosen for this award because you have provided invaluable assistance to FDA," wrote FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan in a June 6 letter to Sayler. "To be selected for special recognition should be most satisfying since accomplishments such as yours impact the well-being of the public." The NCIMS HACCP committee's work began in 1997, when it began to develop a written HACCP pilot program for Grade A dairy plants. After the program's acceptance by the NCIMS in 1999, a voluntary six-plant pilot program was launched to test the concept that a dairy HACCP program could function as an equal food safety system alternative to the traditional Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) regulations and inspection procedures. The pilot program was expanded in 2001 to include all interested Grade A dairy plants across the country. During both phases, Sayler and a small group from the committee conducted comprehensive evaluations of the participating plants to determine the HACCP system's effectiveness. After reviewing the committee's positive findings, state regulators at the 2003 NCIMS meeting last month voted to approve HACCP as a permanent, voluntary alternative to the PMO; FDA is expected to give its official approval to the move soon. (Members can click here to review the recent IDFA Hotline on this topic.) IDFA hailed the NCIMS vote, stating that the HACCP alternative provides more flexibility for dairy plants than the traditional regulations. For more information on HACCP, visit www.IDFAhaccp.org.
Posted June 23, 2003
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