Managing Regulatory Risks While Developing Innovative Food Models

As the development and sale of food products evolve with reformulated foods, new production systems, and new delivery models (via e-commerce), there has also been an increased focus on modernizing food safety. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in particular, has been focused on creating a more digital, traceable, and safer food supply, releasing a "New Era of Smarter Food Safety" framework to advance food safety regulation and use technology to reduce foodborne illness. This framework, however, is only the tip of the iceberg with respect to considerations for companies in this space.

In this webinar, we discussed developments in the regulation of new food models and highlight important considerations for businesses considering innovative systems for providing food products to consumers. First, we will provide an overview of the multiple levels of regulation over food companies at the national level by the FDA and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and retail food establishments, which state and local governments primarily regulate. We will then cover food safety enforcement trends and provide an overview of issues and relevant regulatory authorities that food companies should keep in mind when implementing new business models, including FDA's Smarter Food initiative and consideration of new ways to ensure the safety of food distributed under modern retail models.