FOOD
INDUSTRY
BUSINESS
ROUNDTABLE

The Sampler Email Newsletter
April 16, 2003



Welcome
Welcome to the first issue of the FIBR Sampler, an electronic newsletter that keeps you connected with FIBR and regional food industry issues. The Sampler will be e-mailed to you periodically. Encourage your friends and colleagues to sign up for this e-letter by filling out the information at www.fibr.info. On the other hand, if you do not wish to receive future issues of the Sampler, you can be removed from our mailing list by sending an email to list@fibr.info with REMOVE FIBR in the subject line.

FIBR Program on Bio-terrorism and
Food Security a Resounding Success!
FIBR held a very successful program on March 26th that highlighted major regulatory changes to come as a result of the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002. New regulations will require domestic and foreign firms to register with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), provide prior notice of shipment of imported foods, and establish and maintain records. In addition, the FDA will be authorized to administratively detain food items if they present a threat of serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals.

Aside from this topic, the program also covered crisis and media management in product recalls, HACCP in the context of food security and supplier audits. Some important resources that came out of the program—

• To receive breaking news about developments in bioterrorism and biosecurity, log into the California Department of Health Services website at www.dhs.ca.gov/fdb/ and register to become a part of the agency’s rapid alert system.
  
• In product recalls, a company should develop a “lot number trace and control” system—a comprehensive database of all its distribution outlets—to retrieve and properly dispose of recalled products. This database can be developed internally, or a manufacturer may want to use TDLinx, a database of over 300,000 stores and 4,800 accounts. For more information about TDLinx, go to www.TDLinx.com or its parent www.TradeDimensions.com.
  
• If a company doesn’t have the internal staff to handle consumer calls about product recalls, it can contract with Network Direct. The contact person is Rita Wood, who can be reached at (818) 906-1232.

If you missed the program but would like copies of the handouts, please note the following—

• If you are a FIBR member who paid your 2003 dues, you can receive the handouts for free. Send your request to Linda Wong at lwong@cdtech.org.
  
• If you are not a member, you can send a check in the amount of $10.00 (to cover copying and postage costs) made payable to the Food Industry Business Roundtable. Mail the check to FIBR at 520 West 23rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007.
  
• Handouts consist of –
  
  Session 1: Legislative and Regulatory Developments in Biosecurity
  • DHS "Assessing Security Risks Using a Self-Audit: Operational Risk Management".
  • Note: You can download the following FDA documents from www.dhs.ca.gov/fdb/
    or directly from FDA's website at www.fda.gov/oc/bioterrorism/bioact.html. As a result, these documents are not included in the packet of materials handouts.)
  • FDA Actions on New Bioterrorism Legislation (January 2003);
  • FDA Guidance for Industry: Food Producers, Processors, and Transporters—Food Security Preventive Measures Guidance (March 2003);
  • FDA Guidance for Industry: Importers and Filers: Food Security Preventive Measures Guidance (March 2003);
  • FDA Guidance for Industry: Retail Food Stores and Food Service Establishments: Food Security Preventive Measures Guidance (March 2003);

  Session 2: Crisis and Media Management in Product Recalls

• RQA outline on Crisis Planning and Readiness;
• RQA article from Food Quality (Mar/Apr 2001) on “Product Recall and Crisis Management”;
• RQA article from Food Quality (Nov/Dec 2002) on “Recall Essentials: Beyond the Plan”;
• IW Group outline on “Managing the Media” during a product recall.

Session 3: HACCP in the Context of Biosecurity

• Massachusetts Division of Food and Drugs Food Protection Program: Food Security Planning: A Self-Inspection Checklist.

Session 4: Supplier Audits

• Compliant Quality Solutions: “A Strategy for Performing Supplier Audits”.

Monitoring Developments in Proposed Federal Regulations
ASQ-FDC is holding its West Coast conference on Friday, April 25, 2003 at the Paradise Pier Hotel at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. The focus is on “Balancing Global Security with Regulatory Scrutiny of the Regulated Industries.” For more details, contact Ofelia Barretto at (714) 870-4471 or email her at ofeliacqs@aol.com.

FDA has set a date for a satellite-downlinked meeting about the proposed regulations. It will be held on May 7th at the University of California-Irvine, Student Center, Room C-127. Click on the FDA website noted above for background information. More details to come.

Training Funds Available from
State Employment Training Panel
The State Employment Training Panel has a Small Business pilot project that will provide up to $25,000 in training cost reimbursement for small businesses facing out-of-state or international competition. To be eligible, a business must:

• Be a California small business employing 100 or fewer employees and face out-of-state or international competition;
• Provide between 8 and 39 hours of training per employee at $20.00 per training hour. Maximum of $25,000.00 reimbursement per company.
• Provide training in one of the following areas: business skills, computer skills, continuous improvement, hazardous materials, commercial skills and manufacturing skills as defined by ETP.
• Complete all training by May 31, 2003.
• Satisfy ETP employee wage requirements (see www.etp.ca.gov for details).

For more information, contact Wally Aguilar, Employment Training Specialist, with the California Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency. Phone: (213) 480-6336. Cell: (626) 201-7699. Email: waguilar@commerce.ca.gov.

Give us feedback and keep us informed!
Let us know what you think of the Sampler by sending an email to info@fibr.info. Also let us know about new developments in your business or any industry-related issues that may be of concern to other companies. We will be happy to share it with our readership.

We also want to profile our member companies and consultants so that you can do business with each other. All the more reason to keep FIBR informed about you!