Food Facilities Must Report Harmful Foods Via RFR Portal

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Food Facilities Required to Report Harmful Foods in Electronic FDA Registry

(September = 11, 2009)

Effective September 8, 2009, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began requiring that food facilities use the new electronic portal, called the Reportable Fo= od Registry (RFR), to report potentially dangerous food and related articl= es. Food facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or store food for human or animal consumption in the US must= report to the FDA within 24 hours, using the RFR portal, if food or feed has shown= a reasonable probability to cause adverse health effects in humans or animals= . Such examples include food contamination, mislabeling that poses an allergy risk, or elevated levels of harmful compounds. Reporting = within 24 hours is mandatory unless the food article is prevented from shipping or= the problem is corrected, in which case reporting is not necessary. Foods not subject to the new repor= ting requirement are those under the purview of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), such as USDA-regulated meat, eggs, and poultry; infant formula and dietary supplements are also not covered because they fall under other regulatory requirements.

The following data elements must be included in the in= itial report to the FDA’s RFR:

A.N. Deringer, Inc. is a leading provider of international logistics services including Freight Forwarding, Warehousing & Distribution, Customs Brokerage, Logistics Consulting, Cargo Insurance, Duty Drawback, and Meat Inspection. Deringer combines over 30 US<= /st1:country-region> offices with a global agency network to facilitate the movement of cargo throughout the world.<= o:p>