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Wednesday, April 6, 2011 -- 2 p.m. Central Time

"Complying with the New Food/Feed Safety Law - A Guide for the Grain, Feed and Pet Food Industries"

It's a law that affects every commercial grain elevator, feed and feed ingredient manufacturer, and pet food manufacturer. In fact, it affects every U.S. facility registered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Bioterrorism Act. Even registered foreign facilities that ship agricultural products and ingredients for consumption in the United States are covered.

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is the most sweeping and important overhaul of U.S. food/feed safety laws in 70 years. In an effort to supplement written information already provided to their respective industry sectors, the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) and Pet Food Institute (PFI) are partnering to host a FREE webinar, courtesy of Grain Journal, on Wednesday, April 6 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Central time to discuss the new law and its meaning for the grain, feed, feed ingredient and pet food industries.

Topics to be covered will include:

  • Key provisions of the new law that require facilities to analyze hazards, implement controls and develop and implement written food/feed safety plans.
  • Supply chain management issues, including requirements that importers establish a foreign supplier verification program.
  • The types of records to which FDA now will have access.
  • How to develop a food/feed defense plan, also required under the law.
  • Criteria under which FDA can order mandatory recalls or administratively detain products.
  • Factors FDA is mandated to consider when determining whether a product is "high risk," which triggers additional recordkeeping, product-tracing and food/feed defense requirements.
  • FDA's timeline for implementing the new law, and the NGFA's and PFI's strategies for providing input to the agency.

  This will be an unprecedented opportunity for industry members to ask questions and learn what they can begin doing now to get prepared.

Webinar presenters are:

Randy Gordon , NGFA vice president for communications and government relations, who was intimately involved in providing input from the grain, feed, grain processing and export industries as Congress developed the new law. He's been with the NGFA since 1978, and is principal staff liaison to its Feed Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Committee, Country Elevator Committee and Agroterrorism/Facility Security Committee. He works extensively with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), FDA, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with degrees in journalism, history and political science. With more than 350 member companies engaged in feed and feed ingredient manufacturing, as well as integrated livestock/poultry operations, the NGFA is the nation's largest trade association representing commercial feed manufacturer interests.


Nancy K. Cook , PFI vice president, who also was intimately involved during the food/feed safety legislative process, and has more than 30 years' experience in all phases of animal agriculture. She has been with PFI for nearly 15 years, and handles technical and regulatory issues for the organization whose members manufacture more than 98 percent of total U.S. dog and cat food, a nearly $20 billion industry. She works extensively with FDA, the U.S.D.A. and AAFCO to keep regulations as clear and reasonable as possible. She is a long-time member of the Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee on Trade for USDA and the U.S. Trade Representative. Prior to joining PFI, she served as the feed control official for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. She also previously held several positions in the meat industry, including managing research and meat-processing facilities. She is a graduate of Virginia Tech, with a degree in animal science.


David Fairfield , NGFA director of feed services, who has been with NGFA since 2001 and has more than 20 years' experience as a feed mill manager. He spearheads the NGFA's model feed quality assurance program, including its hazard analysis and critical control point components, and leads the organization's feed education and training efforts. He is principal staff liaison to NGFA's Feed Manufacturing and Technology Committee, and Feed and Animal Agriculture Strategic Issues Committee. He works extensively with FDA and AAFCO. He is a magna cum laude graduate in feed science and management from Kansas State University.

 

 

 

Rachel Lattimore , partner, Arent Fox, Washington, D.C., whose legal practice focuses on food/pet food safety and litigation, as well as agricultural biotechnology and environmental issues. She counsels clients on food marketing and product safety, as well as regulatory matters. She has been with Arent Fox - the outside law firm retained by both NGFA and PFI - since 1994. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, and received her law degree from Duke University.

 


This is an audio broadcast with a live PowerPoint presentation . High speed internet is required for this event.

If you have any questions, please call Webinar Manager Greg Sullivan at 800-728-7511.