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| ==Globally recognized food safety standards== | | ==Globally recognized food safety standards== |
| {{Globally recognized food safety standards}} | | {{Globally recognized food safety standards}} |
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| ==Regulations and laws around the world== | | ==Regulations and laws around the world== |
| The safety and quality of food is a high priority for most countries around the world, though how that safety and quality is regulated and legislated varies, sometimes significantly. The following subsections briefly address the primary regulations and legislation enacted in seven major countries and supranational unions around the world. (It is beyond the scope of this FAQ to address them all.) Similarities among the countries may be seen in their goals, but it should be noted that differences—significant and nuanced—exist among them all in regards to regulatory approaches to sampling, testing, risk, and importing<ref name="BuzbyFood03">{{cite web |url=https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2003/november/food-safety-and-trade-regulations-risks-and-reconciliation/ |title=Food Safety and Trade: Regulations, Risks, and Reconciliation |author=Buzby, J.C.; Mitchell, L. |work=Amber Waves |publisher=U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service |date=01 November 2003 |accessdate=13 November 2022}}</ref><ref name="GAOFoodSafety05">{{cite web |url=https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-05-212 |title=Food Safety: Experiences of Seven Countries in Consolidating Their Food Safety Systems |author=U.S. Government Accountability Office |date=February 2005 |accessdate=13 November 2022}}</ref><ref name="WhitworthReport22">{{cite web |url=https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2022/02/report-finds-food-testing-policies-different-between-countries/ |title=Report finds food testing policies different between countries |author=Whitworth, J. |work=Food Safety News |date=22 February 2022 |accessdate=13 November 2022}}</ref>, which should not be surprising given the cultural, political, and functional differences across regions and nations of the world.<ref name="BuzbyFood03" />
| | {{Food safety regulations and laws around the world}} |
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| ===Food Safety Act 1990 and Food Standards Act 1999 - ''United Kingdom''===
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| The [[wikipedia:Food Safety Act 1990|Food Safety Act of 1990]] and [[wikipedia:Food Standards Agency|Food Standards Act of 1999]] represent the core of food safety regulation in the United Kingdom, though there are other pieces of legislation that also have an impact.<ref name="SBCFood22">{{cite web |url=https://www.scarborough.gov.uk/home/business-licensing-and-grants/food-hygeine/food-safety-regulations |title=Food safety regulations |publisher=Scarborough Borough Council |date=10 November 2022 |accessdate=10 November 2022}}</ref><ref name="FSAKey22">{{cite web |url=https://www.food.gov.uk/about-us/key-regulations |title=Key regulations |publisher=Food Standards Agency |date=30 August 2022 |accessdate=10 November 2022}}</ref> The Food Safety Act of 1990 encourages entities to "not include anything in food, remove anything from food, or treat food in any way which means it would be damaging to the health of people eating it"; serve or sell food that is of a quality that "consumers would expect"; and ensure food is labeled, advertised, and presented clearly and truthfully.<ref name="SBCFood22" /><ref name="FSAKey22" /> The Food Standards Act of 1999 later created the UK's Food Standards Agency (FSA) "to protect public health from risks which may arise in connection with the consumption of food (including risks caused by the way in which it is produced or supplied) and otherwise to protect the interests of consumers in relation to food."<ref name="FSA99Sec1">{{cite web |url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1999/28/section/1 |title=1999 c. 28, The Food Standards Agency, Section 1 |work=legislation.gov.uk |accessdate=10 November 2022}}</ref> One of the ways the FSA does this is through enforcing food safety regulation at the local level, including within food production facilities, as well as setting ingredient and nutrition labelling policy.<ref name="FSAAbout">{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/food-standards-agency |title=Food Standards Agency |work=Gov.uk |accessdate=13 November 2022}}</ref> Regulations and guidance from the FSA address not only labelling but also radioactivity monitoring, meat processing, manure management, ''Salmonella'' testing, temperature control, dairy hygiene, and more.<ref name="FSAGuidReg">{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/search/guidance-and-regulation?organisations%5B%5D=food-standards-agency&parent=food-standards-agency |title=Guidance and regulation: Food Standards Agency (FSA) |work=Gov.uk |accessdate=13 November 2022}}</ref>
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| ===Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 - ''India''===
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| This act was enacted in 2006 to both consolidate existing food-related law and to establish the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which develops regulations and standards of practice for the manufacture, storage, distribution, and packaging of food.<ref name="PRSImplement">{{cite web |url=https://prsindia.org/policy/report-summaries/implementation-food-safety-and-standards-act-2006 |title=Implementation of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 |work=PRS Legislative Research |accessdate=13 November 2022}}</ref><ref name="FSSAIFood">{{cite web |url=https://fssai.gov.in/cms/food-safety-and-standards-act-2006.php |title=Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 |publisher=Food Safety and Standards Authority of India |accessdate=13 November 2022}}</ref> However, an audit of FSSAI by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in December 2017 revealed some deficiencies in the FSSAI's activities, including an overall "low quality" of food testing laboratories in the country.<ref name="PRSImplement" /> Nonetheless, the FSSAI remains the primary regulatory watchdog, developing standards and guidelines for food and enforcing those standards. This includes setting limits for food additives, contaminants, pesticides, drugs, heavy metals, and more, as well as defining quality control mechanisms, accreditation requirements, sampling and analytical techniques, and more.<ref name="FSSAIFood" />
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| ===Food Safety Law - ''China''===
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| The [[wikipedia:Food safety in China|Food Safety Law]] is described as "the fundamental law regulating food safety in China."<ref name="UNEPFood15">{{cite web |url=https://leap.unep.org/countries/cn/national-legislation/food-safety-law-2015 |title=Food Safety Law (2015) |author=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |work=Law and Environment Assistance Platform |publisher=United Nations Environmental Programme |date=24 April 2015 |accessdate=13 November 2022}}</ref> Enacted in 2009 and revised in 2015, the Law "builds up the basic legal framework for food safety supervision and management" and "introduces many new regulatory requirements," including "not only general requirements applicable to food and food additives, but also specific requirements for food-related products and other product categories."<ref name="UNEPFood15" /> Among these activities, the Law describes how food testing laboratories shall conduct their activities, from accreditation and sampling to testing and reporting.<ref name="USDAChina15">{{cite web |url=https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/report/downloadreportbyfilename?filename=Amended%20Food%20Safety%20Law%20of%20China_Beijing_China%20-%20Peoples%20Republic%20of_5-18-2015.pdf |format=PDF |title=China's Food Safety Law (2015) |author=Foreign Agriculture Service Staff |publisher=U.S. Department of Agriculture |work=GAIN Repo |date=18 May 2015 |accessdate=13 November 2022}}</ref>
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| ===Food Sanitation Act and Food Safety Basic Act - ''Japan''===
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| The Food Sanitation Act of 1947 and the Food Safety Basic Act of 2003 represent the most important pieces of food-related legislation in Japan, though there are others. The Food Sanitation Act was originally enacted "to prevent sanitation hazards resulting from eating and drinking by enforcing regulations and other measures necessary from the viewpoint of public health, to ensure food safety and thereby to protect citizens' health."<ref name="JLTFood47">{{cite web |url=https://www.japaneselawtranslation.go.jp/en/laws/view/3687/en |title=Food Sanitation Act (Act No. 233 of 1947) |work=Japanese Law Translation |date=24 December 1947 |accessdate=13 November 2023}}</ref> The Food Safety Basic Act recognized the effects of "internationalization" and changing dietary habits, as well as scientific and technological shifts in food production, as a primary driver for modernizing food safety and sustainability in the country, and it also created the Food Safety Commission of Japan.<ref name="FSCFoodSafe03">{{cite web |url=https://www.fsc.go.jp/english/basic_act/fs_basic_act.pdf |format=PDF |title=Food Safety Basic Act |publisher=Food Safety Commission of Japan |date=23 May 2003 |accessdate=13 November 2022}}</ref> Between the two pieces of legislation, standards and specifications for food and food additives, as well as associated tools and packaging, are addressed, as are inspection standards, production standards, hygiene management, and individual food and ingredient safety.<ref name="BMFoodJapan18">{{cite web |url=https://resourcehub.bakermckenzie.com/en/resources/asia-pacific-food-law-guide/asia-pacific/japan/topics/food-product-and-safety-regulation |title=Japan: Food product and safety regulation |work=Asia Pacific Food Law Guide |author=Baker McKenzie |date=2018 |accessdate=13 November 2022}}</ref>
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| ===Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and other acts - ''United States''===
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| The [[wikipedia:FDA Food Safety Modernization Act|Food Safety Modernization Act]] of the United States was signed into law in January 2011, giving the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) more regulatory authority to address the way food is grown, harvested, and processed.<ref name="WeinrothHist18" /><ref name="FDAFood22">{{cite web |url=https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/animal-food-feeds/food-safety-modernization-act-and-animal-food |title=Food Safety Modernization Act and Animal Food |publisher=U.S. Food and Drug Administration |date=20 October 2022 |accessdate=15 November 2022}}</ref> It has been described by the FDA as "the most sweeping reform of our food safety laws in more than 70 years."<ref name="FDAFood22" /> The FSMA, at its base, has five key aspects, addressing preventive controls, inspection and compliance, safety of food imports, mandatory recall response, and food partnership enhancement.<ref name="FDAFood22" /> However, FSMA continues to evolve, with additional rules getting added since its enactment, including rules about record management, good manufacturing practice (GMP) for human food and animal feed, and laboratory accreditation (referred to as the [[LII:FDA Food Safety Modernization Act Final Rule on Laboratory Accreditation for Analyses of Foods: Considerations for Labs and Informatics Vendors|LAAF Rule]]).<ref name="FDAFSMA22">{{cite web |url=https://www.fda.gov/food/food-safety-modernization-act-fsma/fsma-rules-guidance-industry#rules |title=FSMA Rules & Guidance for Industry |publisher=U.S. Food and Drug Administration |date=20 October 2022 |accessdate=15 November 2022}}</ref>
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| Another important regulatory body in the US is the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), which is overseen by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The FSIS and its authority to regulate are derived from three different acts: the Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906, the Poultry Products Inspection Act of 1957, and the Egg Products Inspection Act of 1970.<ref name="USDAOurHist18">{{cite web |url=https://www.fsis.usda.gov/about-fsis/history |title=Our History |author=Food Safety and Inspection Service |publisher=U.S. Department of Agriculture |date=21 February 2018 |accessdate=15 November 2022}}</ref> The FSIS has developed its own regulatory requirements for meat, poultry, and egg products, including for inspections, imports and exports, labeling, and laboratory testing.<ref name="9CFR412">{{cite web |url=https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-9/chapter-III/subchapter-E/part-412 |title=9 CFR Part 412 - Label Approval |work=Code of Federal Regulations |date=31 October 2022 |accessdate=15 November 2022}}</ref><ref name="FSISFedReg">{{cite web |url=https://www.fsis.usda.gov/policy/federal-register-rulemaking/federal-register-rules |title=Federal Register Rules |publisher=Food Safety and Inspection Service |accessdate=15 November 2022}}</ref><ref name="NALFoodSafe">{{cite web |url=https://www.nal.usda.gov/human-nutrition-and-food-safety/food-safety-standards |title=Food Safety Standards |author=National Agricultural Library |publisher=U.S. Department of Agriculture |accessdate=16 November 2022}}</ref>
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| ===General Food Law Regulation (GFLR) - ''European Union''===
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| The GFLR was enacted across the European Union in 2002 as part of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, and it is described as "the foundation of food and feed law" for the EU.<ref name="EUGeneral">{{cite web |url=https://food.ec.europa.eu/horizontal-topics/general-food-law_en |title=General Food Law |work=Food Safety |publisher=European Commission |accessdate=14 November 2022}}</ref> Along with setting requirements and procedures for food and feed safety, the GFLR also mandated the creation of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), an independent body assigned to developing sound scientific advice about and providing support towards the goals of food, beverage, and feed safety in the EU.<ref name="WeinrothHist18" /><ref name="EUGeneral" /> As such, the EFSA develops broad and sector-specific guidance<ref name="EFSAGuidance">{{cite web |url=https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/methodology/guidance |title=Guidance and other assessment methodology documents |publisher=European Food Safety Authority |accessdate=14 November 2022}}</ref>, as well as other rules related to scientific assessment of food safety matters, e.g., Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs.<ref name="EU2073-2005">{{cite web |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A32005R2073 |title=Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 of 15 November 2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs |work=EUR-Lex |date=03 August 2020 |accessdate=15 November 2022}}</ref> The EFSA also develops food classification standardization tools such as the Standard Sample Description (SSD2) data model, to better ensure an appropriate "format for describing food and feed samples and analytical results that is used by EFSA’s data providers."<ref name="EFSAFoodClass">{{cite web |url=https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/data/data-standardisation |title=Food classification standardisation – The FoodEx2 system |publisher=European Food Safety Authority |accessdate=14 November 2022}}</ref>
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| ===Safe Food for Canadians Act (SFCA) - ''Canada''===
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| In November 2012, the SFCA was enacted to place regulatory "focus on prevention to ensure a food that is imported, exported or shipped from one province to another, is manufactured, stored, packaged and labelled in a way that does not present a risk of contamination."<ref name="ManitobaSafe">{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/food-safety/at-the-food-processor/safe-food-for-canadians-act.html |title=Safe Food for Canadians Act |publisher=Manitoba Government |accessdate=15 November 2022}}</ref><ref name="JLWSafeFood19">{{cite web |url=https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/s-1.1/index.html |title=Safe Food for Canadians Act (S.C. 2012, c. 24) |work=Justice Laws Website |publisher=Government of Canada |date=17 June 2019 |accessdate=15 November 2022}}</ref> Though Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) enforcement of the SFCA's regulations didn't start until January 2019<ref name="ManitobaSafe" />, the consolidation of 14 sets of existing food regulations by the SFCA has managed to improve consistency, reduce administrative burden, and enable food business innovation.<ref name="GoCUnder18">{{cite book |last=Canadian Food Inspection Agency |year=2018 |title=Understanding the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations: A handbook for food businesses |url=https://inspection.canada.ca/food-safety-for-industry/toolkit-for-food-businesses/sfcr-handbook-for-food-businesses/eng/1481560206153/1481560532540?chap=0 |publisher=Government of Canada |isbn=9780660269856}}</ref> An interpretive guide published by the CFIA, ''Understanding the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations: A handbook for food businesses'', summarizes and explains some of the nuances of the SFCA and its 16 parts on matters such as trade, licensing, preventive controls, packaging and labeling, and traceability.<ref name="GoCUnder18" />
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| ==Other influencing factors== | | ==Other influencing factors== |
| Several other organized efforts towards better food quality are worth mentioning, often influencing the development of standards and regulations of other entities around the world.
| | {{Other influencing factors of food safety and quality}} |
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| ===Good manufacturing practice (GMP) and current good manufacturing practice (cGMP)===
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| As a broad concept, [[good manufacturing practice]] or GMP is an organized set of standards and guidelines that allow manufacturers of most any product to better ensure their products are consistently produced and packaged to a consistent level of quality. GMP tends to cover most every step of production, from planning recipes and choosing starting materials to training personnel and documenting processes.<ref name="ISPEGMP">{{cite web |url=https://ispe.org/initiatives/regulatory-resources/gmp |title=Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Resources |publisher=International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering, Inc |accessdate=15 November 2022}}</ref> The concept of GMP is often spoken of in terms of pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing<ref name="ISPEGMP" /><ref name="WHOMedicines15">{{cite web |url=https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/medicines-good-manufacturing-processes |title=Medicines: Good manufacturing practices |publisher=World Health Organization |date=20 November 2015 |accessdate=15 November 2022}}</ref>, though it is applicable to most any other production industry<ref name="CEReg07">{{cite web |url=https://www.controleng.com/articles/regulated-or-not-know-good-manufacturing-practices-gmp/ |title=Regulated or not? Know good manufacturing practices (GMP) |author=''Control Engineering'' Staff |work=Control Engineering |date=14 July 2007 |accessdate=15 November 2022}}</ref><ref name="FDAGMPCosm22">{{cite web |url=https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-guidance-documents/good-manufacturing-practice-gmp-guidelinesinspection-checklist-cosmetics |title=Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Guidelines/Inspection Checklist for Cosmetics |publisher=U.S. Food and Drug Administration |date=25 February 2022 |accessdate=15 November 2022}}</ref>, including the food and beverage industry.<ref name="FDAGoodMan17">{{cite web |url=https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/medicines-good-manufacturing-processes |title=Good Manufacturing Practices for the 21st Century for Food Processing (2004 Study) Section 1: Current Food Good Manufacturing Practices |publisher=U.S. Food and Drug Administration |date=27 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Manning |date=2013-01-11 |title=Food & Drink - Good Manufacturing Practice: A Guide to its Responsible Management |url=http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/9781118318225 |language=en |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |place=Oxford, UK |doi=10.1002/9781118318225 |isbn=978-1-118-31822-5}}</ref>
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| Closely related is the term "current good manufacturing practice" or cGMP. Both "GMP" and "cGMP" are largely interchangeable, though the latter is preferred in most regulatory language of the United States. A more nuanced take says that cGMP essentially represents the newest, most updated technologies implemented towards the goals of meeting GMP requirements.<ref name="PSDiff21">{{cite web |url=https://www.pharmaspecialists.com/2021/10/difference-between-gmp-and-cgmp.html#gsc.tab=0 |title=Difference Between GMP and cGMP |work=Pharma Specialists |date=13 October 2021 |accessdate=15 November 2022}}</ref><ref name="MoravekTheDiff">{{cite web |url=https://www.moravek.com/the-differences-between-gmp-and-cgmp/ |title=The Differences Between GMP and cGMP |work=Moravek Blog |publisher=Moravek, Inc |date=January 2021 |accessdate=15 November 2022}}</ref> In the United States, cGMP—in the context of food—was first introduced in 1969 as 21 CFR Part 110, though the concept of cGMP was modernized in 2015, in 21 CFR Part 117. This led to not only broad food- and beverage-based cGMPs but also cGMPs specific to a type of ingestible, including dietary supplements, infant formula, low-acid canned food, and bottled water.<ref name="FDACurrentGood20">{{cite web |url=https://www.fda.gov/food/guidance-regulation-food-and-dietary-supplements/current-good-manufacturing-practices-cgmps-food-and-dietary-supplements |title=Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMPs) for Food and Dietary Supplements |publisher=U.S. Food and Drug Administration |date=31 January 2020 |accessdate=15 November 2022}}</ref>
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| ===Standards and Scientific Advice on Food and Nutrition (SSA)===
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| The WHO's Nutrition and Food Safety (NFS) Department envisions "a world free from all forms of malnutrition and foodborne diseases, within safe and supportive societies and healthy environments."<ref name="WHONFSHome">{{cite web |url=https://www.who.int/teams/nutrition-and-food-safety/overview |title=Nutrition and Food Safety - Vision and Mission |publisher=World Health Organization |accessdate=15 November 2022}}</ref> One way they attempt to make that vision a reality is through its SSA Unit, described as "the focal point for WHO’s work on international standard-setting in food safety and nutrition."<ref name="WHONFS_SSA">{{cite web |url=https://www.who.int/teams/nutrition-and-food-safety/standards-and-scientific-advice-on-food-and-nutrition |title=Nutrition and Food Safety - Standards and Scientific Advice on Food and Nutrition (SSA) |publisher=World Health Organization |accessdate=15 November 2022}}</ref> The SSA consists of a number of committees that develop scientific risk assessments and guidelines, which in turn make their way into the Codex Alimentarius and other national regulations and standards. These assessments and guidelines cover a variety of topics, including microbiological risk management, drug residues, food contaminates and additives, microplastics, and allergens, among others.<ref name="WHONFS_SSA" />
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Title: What standards and regulations affect a food and beverage laboratory?
Author for citation: Shawn E. Douglas
License for content: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International
Publication date: November 2022
Introduction
Societies around the world have grown to expect and depend on high-quality, nutritious foods and beverages, whether coming directly from a farm or being produced by a food and beverage manufacturer. With the history of food and beverage safety having a somewhat checkered past until the early twentieth century, this expectation hasn't always been easy to meet. However, with better understanding of food safety and greater efforts to standardize and regulate it, governments and producers have improved food quality and safety into the twenty-first century. Yet any assurances coming from these efforts to standardize and regulate are dependent upon rigorous and validated methods not only in the production facility but also in any laboratory making analyses for the facility.
This topical article will briefly examine the standards, regulations, guidance, and other factors globally driven by not only the demand for safer foods and beverages, but also that in many cases dictate what and how quality activities are conducted towards ensuring food safety around the world inside and outside the food and beverage laboratory.
Globally recognized food safety standards
Template:Globally recognized food safety standards
Regulations and laws around the world
Template:Food safety regulations and laws around the world
Other influencing factors
Template:Other influencing factors of food safety and quality
Conclusion
This brief topical article sought to answer "what standards and regulations affect a food and beverage laboratory?" What becomes evident from attempting to answer this question is that while many standards and regulations don't exclusively apply to food and beverage laboratories, many such labs are affected indirectly. In order for the food and beverage industry to be a safer, more well-trusted industry, it must incorporate quality control and standardized manufacturing methods into its efforts, which in turn require laboratory analyses to ensure meeting those quality and manufacturing standards. These industry labs may also have their own analytical, credentialing, and record keeping requirements, derived either directly from regulations and standards affecting the labs, or secondarily as a means to accurately measure quality and safety with the broader producer. Many such standards may be internationally applicable, such as the ISO 22000 series of standards, in recognition of a growing push to harmonize food safety laws, regulations, and standards on a global scale.[1] As a result, the regulations found in countries like Japan and the United States may have many similarities, while still recognizing there are cultural, political, and functional differences among them that dictate important differences.[2] From this brief analysis, we learn of the more important standards affecting the food and beverage industry, and we discover representative examples of regulation around the world, which tend to be driven by the prior-mentioned standards.
References
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