For the first time in
American Feed Industry Association history, the organization named participants
of their seven Food Safety Modernization Act work groups as the 2014 Members of
the Year. In total, 83 members from 60 member companies were honored during a
ceremony at AFIA's Board of Directors meeting this week in Arlington, Va.
The Member of the Year Award
is bestowed to an AFIA member who has exhibited amazing support over the year
to help the organization achieve its goals and objectives. Since 1985, 33
individuals have received this award.
"AFIA chose to honor
the sizable group due to their efforts in assisting the association with the
review and preparation of comments of the FSMA proposed regulations," said
AFIA President and CEO Joel G. Newman. "FSMA is undoubtedly the largest
set of rules to affect our industry in years and we could not have submitted
such comprehensive comments to FDA without this group of people."
FSMA is the largest
rulemaking effort imposed on the animal food industry since FDA's creation in
1938. The industry also faced one of the shortest comment periods relative to
the rule's size and scope. The work groups have diligently provided feedback on
proposed rules, reports and guidance documents on FSMA areas including foreign
supplier verification; third-party certification; Current Good Manufacturing
Practices, hazard identification and preventive controls; and records and
registration.
"The Hazard
Identification and Preventive Controls Work Group established eight subgroups
alone when the animal food rules were proposed in October 2013," said
Richard Sellers, AFIA senior vice president of legislative and regulatory
affairs. "The group tirelessly waded through 400-plus pages of rules and
more than 40 questions provided by FDA in addition to CGMPs (not required by
FSMA) in the proposed regulation during very short time constraints. Not one,
but this entire group is incredibly deserving of being this year's Member of
the Year."
Participants of the work
groups will continue to provide feedback on FSMA-related materials as FDA moves
forward with the rules. Group members are currently reviewing the proposed rule
on "Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food" and are eagerly
waiting for FDA to reopen certain sections of the animal food rule.
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.
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