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Posted By:
Hamidreza Sohrabi
Food and beverage companies face increasing regulatory compliance challenges in managing chemical contaminant regulations due to evolving standards and growing consumer awareness. Recent changes in per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) regulations across various countries and advancements in detection methods have intensified the need for compliance. This article outlines four strategies to help companies navigate these complexities, using technological solutions to maintain safety standards, track production issues, and remain competitive.
Food and beverage companies can confidently navigate the regulatory landscape with automated regulatory compliance management software to update compliance. The challenges posed by PFAS regulations in Europe, the US, Canada, and Australia can be effectively managed with the right regulatory compliance solutions. These solutions not only help manufacturers develop new products but also ensure compliance with their current portfolio, leading to a smoother and more efficient process.
To complicate matters, consumers are becoming more aware of the health risks associated with chemical contaminants like PFAS. They carefully review labels and demand safer products from even their most-loved food and beverage brands.
As the food and beverage supply chain globalizes, contamination risks escalate. State and federal governments are increasing inspections to address emerging regulatory compliance concerns. Advancements in detection methods enable regulators to identify smaller percentages of contaminants more effectively, increasing their ability to analyze materials at every production phase. These headwinds create heavy challenges for manufacturers to stay abreast of regulatory concerns.
Best practices for tracking chemical contaminants regulatory compliance in your product lifecycle
What are the best practices for using a technological solution to monitor the constantly changing regulatory landscape, ensure compliance with food safety standards, address production issues, and succeed in hyper-competitive food and beverage markets?
1. Single source database management
The regulatory landscape for chemical contaminants changes too rapidly for manual processes to match. To effectively manage product-related information amidst these changes, it's essential to have centralized data in a single source database. Because these regulations may vary across regions and change over time, they are a moving target for food and beverage producers. Trace One’s on-demand regulatory compliance management software cuts through the complexity to help target chemical contaminant regulatory targets at the beginning of product development, launch, and beyond.
By consolidating regulatory data with regulatory compliance software, manufacturers can minimize the risk of product recalls and legal consequences associated with non-compliance. Trace One’s centralized platform for analyzing and visualizing regulatory data empowers manufacturers to make informed decisions on product development, process improvements, and risk management strategies.
2. Regulatory news and document repository in one place—with triggers for action
Teams using Trace One Regulatory Compliance receive personalized, early-warning emails alerting them to new regulatory needs and deadlines per country and region. This database encompasses 170+ countries’ food contaminant regulations (and counting). A filtered search bar allows users to keep up to date on hundreds of news and regulatory changes as they happen. For example, “under REACH, endocrine disruptors, which are identified as substances of profound concern alongside chemicals known to cause cancer, mutations and toxicity to reproduction,” is a relatively recent challenge for many food and beverage manufacturers to manage within their regulatory compliance processes. Access to a comprehensive database encompassing these and other chemical contaminant changes in the EU and beyond provides them with convenient access to country-specific legislative frameworks, streamlining compliance efforts.
3. New products assessed with contaminant regulations in mind
In the early stages of ideation, product teams should proactively assess potential contaminant risks. Costs can quickly skyrocket if R&D teams must stop and start based on inefficient workstreams that do not include these crucial decision points. Teams can search across Trace One’s database to determine which suppliers have the appropriate safeguards in place so product development teams can get started (or, alternately, create another supplier option or “no-go” the current formulation). Furthermore, regulatory and quality teams can utilize Trace One Regulatory Compliance software to conduct risk assessments and implement mitigation strategies, ensuring hazard identification and management throughout the product lifecycle.
4. Facilitated multi-department and stakeholder collaboration with regulatory compliance software
Ensuring traceability is essential for addressing regulatory concerns. When multiple product teams complete product lifecycle tasks across different geographic locations, they must navigate varied compliance requirements with just a few clicks. Ideally, suppliers and vendors should also be managed within these regulatory compliance solutions workstreams to ensure documentation, certifications, and audits are included.
Several food and beverage categories, including private label and fresh/deli, are experiencing explosive growth. Consumers’ expectations for safety and quality and labeling expectations for gluten and other allergens are higher than ever. A study of consumer allergen labeling by the United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency found that consumers expect clear, consistent labeling. The recent updates on PFAS in both the US and the EU demonstrate that consumer preferences and regulations are putting pressure on manufacturers to get in front of these concerns. Getting regulatory matters solved early in the product lifecycle using Trace One Regulatory Compliance can allow manufacturers to launch faster, safeguarding their ability to move when consumers clamor for a new product or additional healthy choices in grocery coolers.
"I work in Quality and Safety. I like Trace One Regulatory Compliance because it allows me to set queries for relevant countries and know immediately if any legislative changes exist. Their customer support is also extremely responsive when we have questions,” said a world leader in liquid food processing and packaging.
Using a regulatory compliance solutions Trace One Regulatory Compliance allows teams to determine whether a product meets the requirements for specific markets and quickly demonstrate chemical contaminant compliance status to product developers, quality management, and other stakeholders. Additionally, Trace One customers can collaborate with Trace One consultants to get recommendations for business process optimization before entering a new market. This ensures that a pre-launched product’s ingredient lines, allergens, nutritional information, and nutrient claims are accurate.