The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is a Federal act that was signed into law and took effect January 4th, 2011. The goals of the FSMA are to prevent illness from food contamination, reduce food waste, and protect the general public from the dangers that can arise from activities both unintentional (negligence) and intentional (tampering) within the food industry and supply chain.
The FSMA affects all food manufacturers, storage facilities, and transporters within the food industry by establishing compliance standards to effectively minimize instances of undesirable issues such as contamination and waste. Since its implementation, the FSMA has required companies at all levels within the food supply chain to develop practices and processes to conform to its compliance standards.
Controlling Access
For companies involved in storing and transporting food, controlling access to the product is paramount. Vital to complying with FSMA regulations is ensuring that only authorized personnel with proper security clearance levels come in contact with the food. Taking proactive steps to prevent a breach in supply chain security is imperative for any organization handling and storing food.
Cambridge Security Seals offers a variety of tamper-evident seals and security solutions that are ideal for determining whether access has been breached. These products range from adjustable-length security seals that can be utilized on cargo containers and storage bins to tamper-evident tapes and labels that can be used on boxes, pallets, and even doors. CSS' security solutions are extremely helpful to organizations looking to restrict access and detect and prevent tampering to comply with FSMA regulations.
Protecting Goods-In-Transit
In addition to controlling access to food storage facilities, securing food cargo while in transit by impeding and detecting incidents of tampering and theft is an important step to FSMA compliance. Most instances of tampering and theft occur while trucks are in the process of picking up and delivering merchandise, either at highway rest stops or shipping yards. Ensuring the proper security protocols and solutions during these periods is imperative to protecting goods from nefarious activities.
CSS offers an industry-standard Plastic Truck Seal that is ideal for helping to secure containers and trailers that are transporting goods. This fixed-length seal is available in various colors and sizes with a wide array of customized printing options for added security. To individually secure shipping totes with their dual closures, CSS’s Twin Tote Seals are an attractive fixed-length solution because they features several length options and variable break strengths along with a full range of custom printing options.
Monitoring Temperature and Environment
Monitoring and controlling the climate of any container storing temperature-sensitive goods is critical to preventing contamination and conforming to FSMA compliance standards. The proposed Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food Rule provides an instructive set of guidelines to be followed during transportation and distribution. These guidelines include monitoring storage temperatures throughout the supply chain, communicating those temperatures to the FDA, and maintaining records of food temperatures while in transit.
CSS offers the unique Tetis-R, the perfect solution for companies looking to monitor the temperature of shipping, storage, and transportation containers. Its integration of multiple sensors, time monitoring, and GPS tracking, provides reliable and accurate information about temperature, humidity, and even lighting conditions surrounding the contents of the container.
Additionally, the Tetis-R and its easy-to-use software enables companies to implement an audit trail feature that tracks the entire journey of the cargo, including a detailed report of all the sensor readings throughout the process.
Ensuring Tracking and Tracebility
Much like the Drug Supply Chain Security Act, which CSS covered in detail previously, the FSMA is having a major impact on a global industry. To be fully compliant, companies need to utilize a strong track and trace protocol for product throughout the supply chain.
The ability to pinpoint goods down to the container, lot, and even individual package during storage and transit - and maintain accurate tracking records throughout the process – dramatically reduces the chances of food tampering or contamination. CSS offers a variety of tamper-evident products and security solutions to the food industry and supply chain to contribute to successful track and trace protocols.
CSS' GPS Tracking Solutions provide companies with an innovative approach to tracking and traceability. These technologically advanced systems offer real-time monitoring of assets and goods while in transit. Each device is compact, easy to install, and has varying individual capabilities to update users with instant alerts and notifications.
Adjustable-Length Plastic Seals are designed to be securely tightened to a desired fit, feature a printable area on the information flag that can host laser-etched barcodes, serial numbers, and company logos. One Variation, the Medium Duty Pull Tight Seal with Tear-Off, has a convenient tear-away feature that makes removal simple and virtually effortless, and can be used on a wide variety of storage totes, food and beverage carts, and containers.
CSS also offers Fixed-Length Seals, which have a stronger tensile break strength, ranging from 60 lbs. to 115 lbs. These security seals can also be customized with text, barcodes, and logo and are ideal for securing trailer doors, bulk containers, storage boxes and more. For customers seeking a fixed-length seal with a more compact body and a larger print area, CSS offers a Plastic One Piece Padlock Seal, which is an extremely effective solution to securing a variety of storage containers, including storage cabinets and food and beverage carts.
Confident Compliance
Regardless of which security solutions a company uses in its protocols to achieve FSMA compliance, it is important to remain up-to-date on the latest information regarding the Act and continually adapt accordingly. CSS professionals are available to consult with customers on security protocols and how our security solutions can be applied to achieve FSMA compliance. In addition, the FDA provides an excellent resources page for anyone interested in further educating themselves on FSMA compliance.
For any product inquiries or to discuss your organization's current security program and how CSS can be of service, please submit your information through the form below, or contact our team either by phone at 845-520-4111 or by email at info@cambridgesecurityseals.com
