The Food and Drug Administration’s new draft guidance and policies related to Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods, along with its use of whole genome sequencing (WGS) to better discriminate between bacteria strains, represent major changes to how the agency regulates dairy companies. IDFA’s Regulatory RoundUP, June 12-13, in Washington, D.C., will feature a session to explain the impact of these new developments and offer advice to attendees on how to successfully adapt.
“With WGS technology, FDA can access the entire genetic code of a bacterium, which opens new pathways to surveil and trace strains of Listeria across the country,” said John Allan, IDFA vice president of regulatory affairs and international standards. “FDA’s newly released guidance on controlling Listeria also now allows the industry to be more aggressive in seeking out and destroying Listeria in the production environment before it is able to find its way into food products. Dairy companies need to understand what FDA’s new technology is capable of and to how use these new opportunities to maintain their record of excellent food safety.”
To help explain the new developments, Regulatory RoundUP will feature presenters Mickey Parish, senior advisor for microbiology, Office of Food Safety, FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) and Joe Levitt, partner at Hogan Lovells US LLP and former CFSAN director. Robert D. Byrne, Ph.D., vice president of industry and regulatory affairs, Schreiber Foods, Inc., will moderate the panel.
In the session, “New FDA Listeria Policies Include New Surveillance and Enforcement Tools,” these experts will provide industry strategies for finding and controlling Listeria monocytogenes in facilities that produce RTE foods, cover the regulatory policies that govern RTE foods and take a deep dive into the regulatory impact of the FDA’s new tools and technologies.
Regulatory RoundUP
IDFA’s Regulatory RoundUP conference is designed specifically to address the most pressing regulatory issues facing IDFA member companies and provide information and guidance on preparing for regulatory changes. It gives industry professionals the ability to speak directly with those who create and enforce dairy regulations.
IDFA’s Regulatory RoundUP will be held June 12-13 at the Loews Madison Hotel in Washington, D.C. The two-day conference will provide information-packed, interactive sessions between dairy industry professionals and key government regulators. The full list of sessions can be found here.
IDFA welcomes attendance by all dairy company and plant professionals who are responsible for understanding and complying with dairy regulations, as well as the suppliers who work with dairy plants to meet and exceed federal, state and local standards for dairy foods manufacturing.
For more information contact Maria Velasco, IDFA meetings coordinator and registrar, at registrar@idfa.org.