The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) introduced a transformative approach to food safety, emphasizing prevention over response. Among its key components, the Preventive Controls for Human and Animal Food rule plays a critical role in ensuring the safety of food products at every stage of the supply chain. This rule mandates facilities to identify and implement measures that prevent potential hazards, safeguarding the health of both consumers and animals.

From process controls that mitigate biological risks to supply-chain controls that ensure ingredient integrity, FSMA preventive controls serve as the backbone of modern food safety practices. Whether you’re producing pet food, livestock feed, or food for human consumption, understanding and implementing these controls is essential for compliance and public health protection.

In this article, we’ll explore the requirements, challenges, and benefits of the FSMA Preventive Controls rule, breaking down its application to human and animal food production.

Let’s begin with an overview of this pivotal regulation.

Overview of FSMA Preventive Controls for Human and Animal Food

The Preventive Controls for Human and Animal Food Rule is a cornerstone of FSMA, designed to proactively address potential food safety hazards at every stage of production and distribution. It applies to facilities registered with the FDA and establishes a framework to prevent contamination and protect public health.

Facilities can meet these requirements more effectively by completing PCQI training, which prepares individuals to develop and implement compliant food safety plans under FSMA.

Preventive controls are essential in ensuring that both human and animal food products are safe for consumption, reducing the likelihood of recalls, regulatory actions, and foodborne illnesses.

Key Goals of the Rule

Understanding the strategic goals of the Preventive Controls rule is crucial for facilities aiming to comply with FSMA. These goals reflect not only regulatory expectations but also the underlying principles of proactive food safety management.

1. Ensure Food Safety Through Proactive Measures
   The rule emphasizes identifying hazards and implementing controls to mitigate them, preventing issues before they arise.
2. Minimize Risks of Foodborne Illnesses
   By targeting biological, chemical, and physical hazards, the rule protects humans and animals from potentially harmful contaminants.
3. Promote Accountability Across the Supply Chain
   Facilities are required to document their processes and maintain robust safety systems, fostering a culture of accountability among food producers.

Who Must Comply?

Not every facility falls under the same compliance burden. It’s essential to understand who is legally obligated to follow the Preventive Controls rule—and who may qualify for an exemption. Misunderstanding this can lead to costly missteps.

1. Facilities Registered with the FDA
   Businesses producing, processing, packaging, or storing food for humans and animals must adhere to the rule.
2. Exemptions for Certain Operations

• Small businesses with limited annual revenue.
• Farms engaged in low-risk activities, like harvesting or washing produce.
• Facilities exclusively handling certain low-risk foods, such as dried grains.

FSMA Preventive Controls for Human Food

The Preventive Controls for Human Food Rule targets potential hazards in facilities producing, processing, packaging, or storing human food. These measures ensure that food products meet safety standards and protect consumers from biological, chemical, and physical risks.

Preventive controls are tailored to address various aspects of food safety, from the production process to supply chain management. Facilities must identify Critical Control Points (CCPs) and establish safeguards that effectively mitigate risks.

Types of Preventive Controls for Human Food

Each type of preventive control under FSMA serves a distinct purpose in mitigating specific risks. Rather than treating them as checklist items, facilities must understand their function and tailor them to their operational context. Below, we break each control into dedicated focus areas with practical examples to support implementation.

Process Controls

Process controls are foundational to food safety, designed to ensure that key processing steps consistently mitigate hazards. These controls manage operational parameters such as time, temperature, and pH to suppress microbial growth or eliminate pathogens.

Examples of process controls:

• Cooking poultry to an internal temperature of 165°F to kill Salmonella.
• Cooling cooked soups from 135°F to 41°F within six hours to prevent Clostridium perfringens growth.
• Fermenting products within strict time and pH thresholds to control pathogen activity.

Allergen Controls

For human food facilities, allergen management is critical. Allergen controls prevent the unintended presence of major food allergens through cross-contact, labeling errors, or shared production lines. This is particularly important for facilities producing multiple product lines with varying ingredient profiles.

Examples of allergen controls:

• Segregating storage and production of allergenic ingredients (e.g., peanuts, tree nuts).
• Verifying allergen declarations on packaging labels during quality checks.
• Scheduling dedicated production runs or validated cleaning between allergen-containing and allergen-free products.

Sanitation Controls

Sanitation controls maintain environmental and equipment hygiene to reduce microbial contamination risks. These controls are particularly important in facilities that handle ready-to-eat products or raw ingredients that could harbor pathogens.

Examples of sanitation controls:

• Cleaning and sanitizing conveyors and slicers between production batches.
• Swab testing for Listeria monocytogenes on food-contact surfaces.
• Implementing pest control procedures around raw ingredient storage zones.

Supply-Chain Controls

Supply-chain controls extend food safety responsibilities to ingredient sourcing. These controls ensure that suppliers meet safety requirements before raw materials enter the facility. The higher the ingredient risk, the more rigorous the verification should be.

Examples of supply-chain controls:

• Requiring Certificates of Analysis (COAs) from suppliers of high-risk ingredients.
• Conducting on-site audits for suppliers of raw poultry or leafy greens.
• Testing spice imports for Salmonella contamination.

Each preventive control must be validated, monitored, and documented within the facility’s Food Safety Plan. The goal is not just to meet a regulatory requirement—but to create a resilient, data-driven safety system that prevents harm before it occurs.

Example Scenarios

Real-world implementation of preventive controls brings clarity to what compliance looks like in action. Below are two scenarios that illustrate how tailored controls mitigate specific risks.

Controlling Pathogens Through Cooking and Cooling

A soup manufacturing facility monitors internal cooking temperatures to ensure Listeria monocytogenes is eliminated during the heat process. Post-cooking, the product is cooled from 135°F to below 41°F within a six-hour window to prevent spore germination and bacterial proliferation.

Managing Allergen Risks in Shared Facilities

In a facility producing both nut-containing and nut-free baked goods, the team implements a validated cleaning protocol between runs. Swab testing and label verification confirm that allergen cross-contact is prevented and final products meet allergen disclosure requirements.

FSMA Preventive Controls for Animal Food

The Preventive Controls for Animal Food Rule ensures the safety of animal feed and pet food by addressing hazards that can affect both animal health and the broader food supply chain. These measures are critical for maintaining the integrity of livestock and pet diets while safeguarding human health.

Animal food facilities must identify potential hazards unique to their operations, develop preventive controls to mitigate these risks, and ensure consistent monitoring and compliance throughout the production process.

Types of Preventive Controls for Animal Food

Animal food facilities face unique hazards and responsibilities that demand specialized preventive controls. Just like in human food production, these controls must be risk-based, science-driven, and integrated into the facility’s Food Safety Plan. Below are the core types of preventive controls, each with its distinct focus and examples of implementation.

Process Controls

Process controls in animal food production are aimed at preventing contamination during key manufacturing and storage steps. These controls ensure that feed remains safe and nutritionally balanced throughout handling.

Examples of process controls:

• Managing moisture levels during feed storage to prevent mold growth and mycotoxin development.
• Ensuring even mixing of ingredients to avoid nutrient deficiencies or toxicities that could harm animal health.
• Monitoring temperature in pelleting processes to reduce pathogen survival.

Sanitation Controls

Sanitation controls are critical for maintaining clean equipment and production environments, especially when transitioning between batches or product types. These reduce the risk of cross-contamination and microbial buildup.

Examples of sanitation controls:

• Cleaning mixing equipment between runs to eliminate residual contaminants.
• Sanitizing bulk storage bins on a scheduled basis to prevent bacterial growth.
• Removing dust and residue from conveyor systems to reduce exposure risks.

Supply Chain Controls

Supply chain controls help facilities verify that incoming raw materials meet safety standards before being introduced into the feed manufacturing process. These controls are especially important for preventing contamination from pesticides, drug residues, and mycotoxins.

Examples of supply-chain controls:

• Testing incoming grain shipments for aflatoxins and other mycotoxins.
• Verifying that suppliers of medicated feed ingredients meet legal residue limits.
• Requiring Certificates of Analysis for high-risk or specialty ingredients.

Unique Considerations for Animal Food

Beyond standard controls, animal food production must also address species-specific nutritional requirements and handling differences between livestock and pet food.

Nutrient Levels in Animal Diets

Animal feed must support the nutritional needs of different species and life stages. Inadequate or excessive nutrient concentrations can lead to health issues, reduced productivity, or even death. Facilities must verify formulation accuracy and ingredient consistency.

Risks in Livestock Feed vs. Pet Food

Different types of animal food require tailored safety strategies depending on the end consumer—livestock or companion animals. Each category introduces distinct vulnerabilities that preventive controls must anticipate and mitigate.

• Livestock Feed: Often stored in large silos or bins, which increases the risk of mold growth, mycotoxin accumulation, and spoilage during extended storage.
• Pet Food: Requires higher standards for pathogen control—particularly Salmonella—as contamination can affect both pets and humans through handling or household cross-contamination.

Preventive controls for animal food do more than protect animal health—they fortify the safety of the broader food system, especially in cases where animal products enter the human supply chain.

Hazards Addressed by FSMA Preventive Controls

Preventive controls are tailored to mitigate a wide range of hazards that can compromise food safety. These hazards fall into three primary categories: biological, chemical, and physical. Addressing these risks effectively is key to maintaining the safety and integrity of both human and animal food production.

Biological Hazards

Biological hazards pose significant risks to food safety, often resulting from pathogens that contaminate food during production, processing, or storage. These hazards demand stringent control measures tailored to both human and animal food contexts.

Pathogens in Human Food

Pathogenic contamination in human food products is a leading cause of foodborne illness. Common pathogens can enter the food supply through raw ingredients, unsanitary conditions, or improper handling.

Examples of common pathogens:

• Salmonella in spices and eggs
• Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat products
• Escherichia coli (E. coli) in raw vegetables and dairy products

Control measures include:

• Cooking or pasteurizing foods to appropriate internal temperatures
• Maintaining sanitation practices to prevent cross-contamination during processing

Pathogens in Animal Food

Animal food—whether for pets or livestock—is also vulnerable to microbial contamination. When these hazards go uncontrolled, they can affect animal health and compromise the safety of products that enter the human food supply.

Examples of pathogens in animal food:

• Salmonella in raw pet food or livestock feed
• Clostridium botulinum in improperly stored feed

Control measures include:

• Maintaining proper storage conditions to inhibit microbial growth
• Verifying the absence of harmful bacteria through pre-distribution testing and quality checks

Chemical Hazards

Chemical hazards arise from the presence of harmful substances introduced during agricultural production, processing, or storage. These contaminants can pose serious health risks to both humans and animals.

Contaminants in Human Food

Chemicals can enter the food supply through pesticide use, environmental exposure, or processing errors. Even trace amounts can be harmful if not properly managed.

Examples of chemical contaminants:

• Pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables
• Heavy metals in rice and fruit juices
• Allergens from cross-contact during processing

Control measures include:

• Monitoring agricultural inputs to ensure compliance with safety thresholds
• Implementing allergen management protocols to prevent unintentional exposure

Contaminants in Animal Food

Animal food can be contaminated by substances harmful to animal health or that may accumulate in the food chain.

Examples of contaminants:

• Mycotoxins in grain-based feeds
• Drug residues in medicated animal feed

Control measures include:

• Testing raw materials for common contaminants such as aflatoxins
• Observing proper withdrawal periods for medicated feed prior to slaughter or milk production

Physical Hazards

Physical hazards involve the unintentional introduction of foreign objects into food products, posing injury risks to consumers and animals alike. These risks often stem from equipment failure or mishandling during processing and packaging.

Examples in Human Food

• Glass fragments from broken containers
• Metal shavings from mechanical equipment
• Plastic particles from damaged packaging materials

Examples in Animal Food

• Stones or debris in grain shipments
• Metal fragments introduced during transport or storage

Control Measures

• Conducting regular equipment inspections and preventive maintenance
• Employing detection technologies like metal detectors, X-ray systems, or mechanical sieves

By understanding and mitigating these biological, chemical, and physical hazards, facilities can uphold the highest standards of food safety and comply with FSMA’s Preventive Controls requirements for both human and animal food.

Core Categories for FSMA Preventive Controls

Preventive controls for human and animal food fall into distinct categories, each addressing specific types of hazards that can compromise food safety. These categories ensure a comprehensive approach to mitigating risks across all stages of production, processing, and distribution.

Preventive controls are grouped to align with the types of hazards they address, from biological risks like pathogens to physical risks like foreign materials. Let’s explore the core categories and their unique contributions to food safety.

Process Controls

Process controls focus on managing critical aspects of production to minimize biological, chemical, or physical hazards during processing. These controls rely on precise monitoring and operational parameters to ensure consistency and safety.

• Examples include:
  • Cooking: Maintaining specific internal temperatures to eliminate pathogens .
  • Cooling: Rapidly reducing temperatures to prevent bacterial growth in perishable foods.
  • Fermentation: Controlling time and pH levels to inhibit harmful microorganisms.

• Monitoring Requirements include: Process controls must include clearly defined parameters, monitoring procedures, and corrective actions. For example, if a cooking step fails to meet the required temperature, the product must be reprocessed or discarded.

Allergen Controls

For human food, allergen cross-contact is a significant risk. Allergen controls are designed to prevent unintended exposure to allergens, ensuring the safety of consumers with food allergies.

• Key Practices include:
  • Separation of allergenic and non-allergenic ingredients during storage, production, and packaging.
  • Labeling verification to confirm accurate allergen information on product labels.
  • Cleaning and sanitation procedures for equipment used with allergenic ingredients.

• Unique Focus for Human Food: Allergen controls are less relevant for animal food unless the allergen poses a risk to specific species. However, they remain critical for facilities handling both human and animal food.

Sanitation Controls

Sanitation controls address environmental and operational cleanliness to reduce contamination risks. These controls apply to both human and animal food production environments.

• Essential Elements include:
  • Cleaning and disinfection of food-contact surfaces.
  • Monitoring for environmental pathogens (e.g., Listeria in ready-to-eat facilities).
  • Pest control measures to prevent contamination from rodents or insects.

• Tailored Approaches: Animal food facilities often focus on sanitation procedures for bulk handling equipment, while human food facilities prioritize the cleanliness of high-touch surfaces and utensils.

Supply-Chain Controls

Supply-chain controls ensure that raw materials and ingredients meet safety standards before entering the production facility. These controls are especially important when sourcing from multiple suppliers or regions.

• Verification Activities include:
  • Supplier audits to evaluate compliance with food safety standards.
  • Testing ingredients for contaminants such as mycotoxins or heavy metals.
  • Ensuring certificates of analysis (COAs) accompany high-risk ingredients.

• Importance for Animal Food: Supply-chain controls for animal food frequently emphasize the prevention of toxins (e.g., aflatoxins in feed grains) and nutritional deficiencies, which can have severe consequences for livestock health.

Compliance Requirements for Facilities

Facilities subject to the FSMA Preventive Controls for Human and Animal Food must meet stringent FDA compliance requirements. These regulations ensure that hazards are effectively identified and managed throughout the food production process.

Developing a Food Safety Plan

A Food Safety Plan is the cornerstone of compliance for facilities. It outlines the preventive controls and procedures in place to mitigate identified hazards. FSMA mandates that both human and animal food facilities develop tailored plans based on the specific hazards they face.

Requirements for Food Safety Plans

Facilities must establish written Food Safety Plans that align with the type of food they produce:

• Human Food Facilities: Must develop and implement a plan that addresses hazards specific to food processing, packaging, and distribution.
• Animal Food Facilities: Focuses on hazards affecting livestock feed and pet food, including risks from contaminants and improper nutrient levels.

Components of a Food Safety Plan

To be compliant, a Food Safety Plan must include several interdependent components that collectively ensure risk mitigation and regulatory accountability:

• Hazard Analysis: Identifies potential biological, chemical, and physical hazards.
• Preventive Controls: Includes process, allergen, sanitation, and supply-chain controls tailored to facility operations.
• Monitoring Procedures: Checks and documents the implementation of preventive controls to ensure effectiveness.
• Corrective Actions: Specifies steps to address deviations from critical limits or process failures.
• Verification Activities: Confirms that FSMA preventive controls are properly implemented and hazards are under control.
• Record-Keeping: Documents all food safety plan components, monitoring activities, and corrective actions.

Example of a Food Safety Plan in Action

To ground this in practice, consider the case of a bakery that identifies allergen cross-contact as a major hazard. Its Food Safety Plan includes:

• Allergen labeling protocols.
• Cleaning schedules for shared equipment.
• Supplier verification to ensure allergen-free raw materials.

Role of Qualified Individuals

Compliance doesn’t end with documentation—it requires oversight by trained professionals who understand the risks and regulatory expectations. This is where Preventive Controls Qualified Individuals (PCQIs) play a pivotal role.

Who Are PCQIs?

PCQIs are individuals trained in the application of risk-based preventive controls. They are typically certified through an FDA-recognized curriculum or equivalent training and are entrusted with implementing food safety systems in a scientifically sound and practical manner.

Key Responsibilities of PCQIs

A qualified PCQI must take ownership of the food safety program by:

• Conducting hazard analyses to identify potential risks.
• Developing and validating Food Safety Plans.
• Monitoring preventive controls and implementing corrective actions.
• Training facility staff on compliance protocols.

Impact of PCQIs on Compliance

The presence of a qualified PCQI enhances a facility’s credibility and compliance posture. Their role ensures that safety plans are not just theoretically sound but operationally effective, minimizing both risk and regulatory exposure.

Documentation and Record-Keeping

Food safety compliance is only as strong as the documentation that supports it. Organized, accessible records form the backbone of a facility’s defense during FDA inspections.

Types of Records to Retain

Facilities must maintain a wide range of documentation, including:

• Hazard analysis and its results.
• Monitoring logs for preventive controls.
• Corrective action reports.
• Verification and validation documentation.

Retention Periods

FSMA mandates different retention standards depending on the type of facility:

• Human Food: Records must be retained for at least two years after their creation.
• Animal Food: Similar retention requirements apply, with additional considerations for feed stability and storage conditions.

Importance of Organized Documentation

Proper documentation serves several functions:

• Provides a clear record for addressing deviations or recalls.
• Demonstrates a facility’s commitment to proactive food safety measures.
• Facilitates smooth FDA inspections and audits.

Meeting FSMA’s compliance requirements is not a one-time event—it’s an ongoing commitment that must be embedded into the daily operations of any food or feed facility. From developing a robust Food Safety Plan to maintaining meticulous records and empowering qualified individuals, these efforts lay the foundation for a resilient, inspection-ready program.

But even with a strong plan in place, execution often brings its own set of challenges. In the next section, we’ll explore the most common implementation hurdles—and the best practices facilities are using to overcome them.

Challenges and Best Practices in Implementing FSMA Preventive Controls

While the FSMA Preventive Controls rule is essential for ensuring food safety, implementing these measures presents significant challenges for facilities. However, adopting best practices can help overcome these obstacles, streamline compliance, and enhance operational efficiency.

Common Challenges

Preventive controls are conceptually sound—but operationalizing them can strain even well-established facilities. Below are the most frequent pain points companies encounter.

Variability in Raw Materials and Suppliers

Inconsistencies in raw material quality or gaps in supplier oversight can disrupt hazard management protocols.

Example: A produce supplier delivers a batch with higher-than-expected microbial loads, requiring the receiving facility to adjust sanitation procedures.

Maintaining Sanitation in Large-Scale Operations

The larger and more complex the facility, the harder it is to ensure uniform sanitation practices across all lines and shifts.

Example: A missed cleaning checkpoint on a shared conveyor line leads to allergen cross-contact.

Training Staff on Compliance Protocols

Facilities often underestimate the depth and repetition required to embed food safety procedures into daily habits.

Example: An improperly trained employee misreads a critical limit and fails to trigger a corrective action, risking regulatory violation.

Integration of New Technologies

Technology offers efficiency—but onboarding it can disrupt workflows, require retraining, and introduce new error types.

Example: A facility adopting real-time pH monitoring must recalibrate QA procedures and retrain staff on digital logging protocols.

Best Practices for Success

While challenges are common, leading facilities adopt proactive strategies to embed preventive controls into both culture and operations.

Regular Audits of Processes and Suppliers

Internal audits help facilities spot system weaknesses before regulators do. These also drive continuous improvement.

Example: A quarterly review reveals deviations in cooling procedures and triggers a realignment of SOPs.

Investing in Technology for Monitoring and Verification

Smart tools can automate oversight, reduce error margins, and ensure timely interventions.

Example: Installing automated temperature sensors with real-time alerts enables immediate corrective action if cold storage fails.

Providing Comprehensive Training for All Staff

Training must be specific to each role and reinforce both the “how” and the “why” of safety compliance.

Example: A facility offers scenario-based workshops on allergen handling, giving staff hands-on practice in real-life risk situations.

Standardizing Processes Across Operations

SOPs ensure consistency—especially important across shifts, product lines, or co-manufacturing sites.

Example: A facility establishes a plant-wide sanitation protocol with timed checkpoints and centralized logging.

Developing a Culture of Food Safety

When food safety is embedded in values—not just procedures—employees proactively flag issues and uphold standards.

Example: A supervisor rewards a line worker for catching a missed allergen label, reinforcing a sense of shared responsibility.

Collaborating with External Experts

Outside specialists bring fresh perspectives and help facilities stay aligned with evolving FDA expectations.

Example: An annual third-party audit identifies emerging risks that internal reviews missed and recommends forward-looking controls.

Benefits of Preventive Controls for Human and Animal Food

Implementing preventive controls is not only a regulatory requirement but also a strategic advantage. These controls position facilities to meet FDA expectations, protect public health, and strengthen competitive standing.

Public Health Impact

Preventive controls help reduce foodborne illnesses, protect vulnerable populations, and ensure safer supply chains—from farm to table.

1. Reducing the Prevalence of Foodborne Illnesses

Proactive mitigation of biological hazards prevents outbreaks and their downstream effects.

Example: Cooking logs that track internal product temperatures help facilities eliminate Salmonella and E. coli at scale.

2. Ensuring Safe Feed for Healthy Livestock and Pets

Healthy animals produce safe animal products. Feed safety is a vital—but often overlooked—link in the food safety chain.

Example: A facility screening grain shipments for mycotoxins prevents toxic carryover into milk and meat.

3. Promoting Long-Term Public Health Outcomes

Allergen management and contamination prevention reduce chronic exposures that may otherwise accumulate over time.

Example: Proper allergen labeling helps immunocompromised individuals navigate the marketplace with confidence.

Operational Benefits for Facilities

Compliance with FSMA standards has ripple effects across operations, from cost control to risk reduction.

1. Streamlined Compliance Processes

Facilities with mature food safety systems face fewer delays and less friction during inspections.

Example: A facility with up-to-date SOPs and digital recordkeeping navigates FDA audits with minimal disruption.

2. Reduced Risk of Recalls and Regulatory Actions

Robust hazard controls decrease the likelihood of disruptive events that damage revenue and brand trust.

Example: Metal detection programs catch physical contaminants before distribution, averting costly recalls.

3. Improved Resource Utilization

Efficient sanitation and supply-chain verification reduce waste, rework, and downtime.

Example: Targeted cleaning protocols cut water and chemical usage while boosting throughput.

Building Consumer Confidence

Preventive controls communicate reliability—something consumers increasingly seek in an era of food transparency.

1. Demonstrating Commitment to Safety and Quality

Certifications, audits, and transparent practices signal to buyers that a facility exceeds the bare minimum.

Example: A label that references third-party food safety certification builds trust at the point of sale.

2. Enhancing Brand Reputation and Loyalty

Facilities that consistently deliver safe products develop long-term relationships with both B2B and B2C buyers.

Example: A grocery chain extends a private-label contract with a co-packer known for its zero-recall track record.

3. Aligning with Evolving Consumer Expectations

Today’s customers expect safety—but also transparency and traceability.

Example: A snack brand shares a behind-the-scenes video of its allergen controls to reinforce trust with allergy-conscious consumers.

Key Takeaways for the FSMA Preventive Controls Rule

The FSMA Preventive Controls rule is more than regulatory red tape—it’s a framework for risk prevention, process improvement, and market credibility.

Summary of Core Requirements

Facilities must establish and implement a Food Safety Plan that includes:

Implementing Preventive Controls

Apply risk-based controls tailored to your operations:

• Process Controls: Manage time, temperature, and pH to suppress hazards.
• Sanitation Controls: Prevent cross-contamination with validated cleaning protocols.
• Allergen Controls: Avoid cross-contact and verify label accuracy.
• Supply-Chain Controls: Ensure ingredients meet safety standards before entry.

Conducting Comprehensive Hazard Analysis

Evaluate biological, chemical, and physical hazards at every point in the process and determine where controls are most critical.

Maintaining Documentation and Records

Keep robust records of every part of your food safety program, including monitoring logs, corrective actions, and verification activities.

Steps for Effective Implementation

Preventive controls are only as strong as the systems—and people—behind them.

1. Train Qualified Individuals and Staff

Certified PCQIs must oversee food safety plans, and all staff should receive regular, role-specific training.

2. Use Technology for Monitoring and Verification

Automation tools improve accuracy, reduce errors, and enhance real-time decision-making.

3. Regularly Update Safety Plans and Practices

Hazards evolve—and so must your controls. Periodic audits and plan updates help maintain alignment with real-world risks and regulatory changes.

Adopting FSMA’s Preventive Controls for Human and Animal Food protects public health, builds consumer confidence, and positions facilities for long-term success. By proactively addressing hazards and fostering a culture of accountability, food businesses not only meet regulatory expectations—they exceed them.

Ensure your facility meets FDA requirements by training a qualified professional. Explore our PCQI training program to learn how to develop and oversee effective food safety plans for both human and animal food.