The FDA published a final guidance document to help animal food and feed facilities implement hazard analysis and critical control point plans under the Food Safety Modernization Act. The agency said the guidance document will “help animal food facilities develop a food safety plan that complies with FDA’s Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls requirements.” Most, if not all, egg farms are exempt from FSMA’s provisions because they meet the definition of “farm.” However, some operations’ feed mills may be subject to FSMA and required to comply with the law’s animal food provisions. The final document gives guidance on –

• “the biological, chemical (including radiological), and physical agents that are known or reasonably foreseeable hazards in manufacturing, processing, packing, and holding of animal food;
• “the components of a food safety plan and the importance of each component:
• “how to conduct a hazard analysis and develop a food safety plan for the animal food that you produce;
• “identifying preventive controls for biological, chemical, and physical hazards associated with animal food and how to apply those preventive controls;
• “preventive control management components (i.e., monitoring, corrective actions and corrections, and verification (including validation)); and
• “the recordkeeping requirements associated with the food safety plan and implementation of the food safety plan.”