Food Facilities And FDA Registration- 3 Things You Need To Know

A lot of the food that is consumed throughout the United States is processed through a food facility. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates these facilities to ensure the health and safety of all food items they produce.

Applying for FDA registration can be a daunting task. Many food facilities choose to partner with professional certification registration consultants to help navigate the process.

Here are three things that you need to know as you work with your own consultant to register your food facility with the FDA in the future.

1. All Food Facilities Must Register 

One of the first questions you may have is whether or not you even need to bother with FDA registration for your food facility.

It's important to recognize that all food facilities must be registered in order to legally produce items for the consumer market. This means that facilities working with food products meant for both animal and human consumption are required to become registered with the FDA.

A consultant can help you determine the differences in regulatory standards for animal and human food facilities so that you can easily and effectively complete the registration process.

2. Some Exemptions Exist

Despite the fact that the FDA requires all food facilities to maintain registration, there are some exemptions to the registration requirements. The most notable of these exemptions include facilities that are processing charitable donations and non-profit facilities that prepare and distribute food directly to the consumer.

The charitable donations that are being processed must be intended for export from the United States in order for a facility to qualify for the exemption. Facilities that prepare and distribute food directly to consumers can include soup kitchens, school cafeterias, and nonprofit food delivery services.

Strict qualifications must be met in order for a facility to be declared exempt from the FDA's registration requirements. A consultant can help you determine if your facility meets these qualifications.

3. Farms Can be Food Processing Facilities

There are certain instances where farms are required to register as a food facility with the FDA. Any farm that can be identified as "mixed-use" must be registered.

Mixed-use farms are involved in both growing and processing agricultural products. Processing can include bottling milk, canning fruits and vegetables, and any other type of industrial food treatment process.

A consultant will be able to evaluate the scope of your farm's processing activities to determine if you are required to seek FDA registration.

To learn more about FDA registration services, contact a company like Regulatory Solutions, Inc.