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FDA Tests Food Facility Registration Database

The FDA recently tested its Food Facilities Registration Database to verify whether or not the emergency contact information stored in the file was accurate. The test, which included both domestic and foreign facilities, was conducted to determine whether FDA could use the information in the database to quickly notify affected facilities in case of an incident. What did the test results indicate?

Of the 400 randomly selected domestic facilities, 90.3% responded to the primary e-mail or telephone call. Of the facilities approached successfully, FDA was able to talk with 72.2% of the emergency contacts listed. In addition, the FDA concluded:

* 61% of the persons contacted were verified as the designated emergency contact.

* 10.2% of the persons contacted were not the designated emergency contact.

* 1% of the persons who were designated as the emergency contact did not speak English and therefore could not be verified.

* Only 18% provided the correct telephone number for the emergency contact.

* 9.8% provided a telephone number for an emergency contact that was not correctly formed, a non-existent line, or out of service.

Of the 400 randomly selected foreign facilities, 87.8% responded to the primary e-mail or fax or primary or secondary telephone call. Of these facilities, FDA was able to talk with 58.8% of the emergency contacts listed. The FDA concluded:

* 48% of the persons contacted were the designated emergency contacts/U.S. agents.

* 10.8% of the persons contacted were not the designated emergency contacts/U.S. agents.

* 9.2% of the persons who were designated as the emergency contacts/U.S. Agents did not speak English and therefore FDA could not verify whether that person was the emergency contact/U.S. agent.

* Only 19.7% provided the correct phone number for the emergency contact/U.S. agent.

* 12% provided a telephone number for an emergency contact/U.S. agent that was not correctly formed, for a non-existent line, or was out of service.

* 1 of the 400 test facilities has gone out of business.

In response to the test results, the Food and Drug Administration advises domestic and foreign facilities to improve the accuracy of the information in the database. A second notification test will take place later this year.

Is the information your facility provided for FDA’s Food Facilities Registration Database current? If not, FDA encourages all registered facilities to review and correct their data.

‘Food & Nutrition Research Briefs’ Available from Agricultural Research Service

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has posted on the web "Food & Nutrition Research Briefs." The quarterly publication features short, informative highlights of new scientific findings about nutrition and health, as well as food safety, new foods, and related topics.

The newest edition of the ARS’s online "Food & Nutrition Research Briefs" newsletter is now available on the Web at: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/np/fnrb/fnrb1006.htm.

Free Food Safety Poster Offered by AIB

Hazardous energy in any workplace can be very dangerous, even lethal. For this reason, facilities should enforce proper equipment lockout/tagout procedures.

To assist plant managers in communicating this important message, AIB has produced a free lockout/tagout poster that can be put on display in your facility. To view the new poster, or to access archived posters, visit www.aibonline.org/newsletter. AIB