New Regulation effective January 1, 2020
Related to Hemp/CBD in Florida, effective January 1, 2020, Hemp extract (CBD intended for ingestion) has been incorporated into existing Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Division of Food Safety programs. Hemp Food Establishment Permits for processing, manufacturing, distributing and retailing will be available and required. Beginning January 2, 2020, Food Safety Inspectors may be on-site at the established conducting establishment inspections, enforcing the new rules and pulling samples for testing for the Hemp Program.
FDACS Division of Food Safety requirements has published a guidance document that establishments can use related to “minimum construction standards.”
Our team of experts have been assisting retail and manufacturing sites in compliance to the US Food and Drug Administration Food Code (on which the FDACS is basing their inspections), construction and GMPs, regulatory compliance, and the content of the Food Safety Manager exam. We would be honored to assist any facility in performing an analysis to these requirements in preparation for on-site inspections. We can assist in understanding the requirements and the journey to compliance. Note that the inspector may visit at any time so compliance education must be understood and practiced by the establishment on a 24/7 basis.
This new law also requires the presence of a Certified Food Safety Manager (also known as the Food Safety Protection Manager) on site when manufacturing is operational.
A Certified Food Protection Manager is the person responsible for the control or supervision over employees who engage in the processing, preparation and service of foods in the food establishment. The food establishment may designate someone other than the person in charge, to be responsible for the safety of the food supply to be certified.
The designated CFSM must:
Have the knowledge, skills and abilities to identify any hazards in the daily operation of the food establishment;
Develop and implement policies and procedures to prevent foodborne illness; coordinate employee food safety training;
Direct food preparation activities and take corrective action as needed to protect the health of the consumer; and
Conduct periodic in-house self-inspections of daily operations to ensure that food safety policies and procedures are followed.
To become a Certified Food Safety Manager, individuals must successfully pass a certification examination administered by nationally recognized manager certification test providers. Information and applications are available directly from the approved providers. Individuals are not required to attend an examination preparation or training course; however, preparation courses, study guides, and other helpful materials are of offered by each of the approved test provider
For more information on the Certified Food Manager Exam please visit: https://www.fdacs.gov/content/download/23976/file/Food-Protection-Manager-Flyers.pdf
Who is the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)?
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) regulates the commercial food supply for compliance with state and federal regulations to minimize the risk of foodborne illness in food products processed, produced, stored, distributed and sold in both retail and wholesale food businesses within the state of Florida.
Regulated establishments include supermarkets and grocery stores, convenience stores, coffee shops, bakeries, retail meat markets, seafood markets, juice and smoothie bars, bottled water plants, ice and water vending machines, all food processing plants, food warehouses, food salvage stores, and certain mobile food units selling only prepackaged foods or non-potentially hazardous food items.
Food establishments are inspected, and food products are sampled routinely for consumer safety.