FDA Suspends Routine Surveillance Facility Inspections; Quality To Be Maintained

On March 18, the US Food & Drug Administration announced that it would be suspending all domestic routine surveillance facility inspections in order to assist in limiting the spread of the COVID-19 virus. For-cause inspections will be evaluated on an individual basis. Earlier in March, the agency had already postponed most foreign facility inspections through April, keeping only inspections deemed mission-critical, a status that will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The FDA notes that facilities will still be subject to reporting requirements and should engage in Current Good Manufacturing Practice requirements covering sanitation, processing controls, and controls pertaining to food safety hazards. Facilities will continue to be evaluated on that reporting. The FDA notes that the violation rate on such inspections in the previous fiscal year was only about 5%.

Although 47% of consumers who responded to The Freedonia Group’s National Online Consumer Survey indicate that they worry about foodborne illness, 49% of consumers indicate that they trust that products available for sale are likely to be safe. This attitude shows that consumers tend to place much of the onus of food safety on the corporations and government agencies that regulate the food supply. Food suppliers need to assure consumers that this change will not affect food quality at a time when consumers are particularly aware of their health.

For more information, see The Freedonia Group’s Meat, Poultry, & Seafood Packaging, Global Food Processing Machinery, and Food Safety Products, with additional coverage available from our sister publisher Packaged Facts’ food & beverage industry coverage. Freedonia Custom Research is also available for questions requiring tailored market intelligence.