Help for Foodservice Distributors

The International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA), Falls Church, Va., has released two manuals that provide important operational information for managing facility inspections and product recalls. The first, the FDA and USDA Inspection Manual for Foodservice Distributors, provides up-to-date guidance on distributor rights and responsibilities in handling a visit from food safety regulators, including additional inspection authority granted under the Bioterrorism Act. Foodservice distributors can use the manual as a template for establishing a new set of procedures or can compare the manual guidance to existing programs to find ways to enhance procedures. The second, Effective Recall Management for Foodservice Distributors, provides guidance that can improve a company's existing processes for product recall or market withdrawal and details new requirements that exist under the Bioterrorism Act. The manual contains a comprehensive explanation of rules and regulator schemes relating to recalls, provides important guidance on conducting recalls in a timely and efficient manner, and captures industry best practices in recall management. Link to further information, including a complete Table of Contents for each manual, click here