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Presented by Priya Rathnam, M.P.H. and Omar A. Oyarzabal, Ph.D.

  • Do you understand the impact of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) on Acidified Foods (AF)?
  • Do you understand the terms of AF regulations and the interplay with a modern, risk-based food safety plan?
  • Is your food safety system for AF robust enough for an inspection by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)?

This webinar hosted by EAS Consulting Group will provide you with these answers. The webinar will be presented by EAS Independent Consultant Omar A. Oyarzabal, Ph.D., a microbiologist processing authority, and FDA Consumer Safety Officer Priya Rathnam with the Office of Compliance/Division of Compliance Policy at FDA’s CFSAN. Specific topics covered include:

  • Brief history of Low Acid Food and Acidified Food (AF) regulations
  • Definition of an AF and key terms used in AF regulations
  • The importance of recording Critical Factors
  • The unique impacts of FSMA on AF processors
  • An FDA primer on the enforcement of the LACF and AF requirements
  • Summary of recent FDA inspections of large and medium-sized AF manufacturers
  • Opportunity for improvements based on observations from FDA inspections

Together, the presenters will provide participants with detailed information and insight on acidified foods, their definition, filing requirements, and FDA expectations.

About the Presenters

Priya Rathnam, M.P.H., Consumer Safety Officer, FDA

Priya Rathnam, M.P.H. is a Consumer Safety Officer in the Division of Compliance Policy/Office of Compliance at FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). She was previously a subject matter expert in the Division of Enforcement routinely reviewing regulatory actions related to microbial contamination in food. Priya has worked at CFSAN for over 16 years, and works closely with FDA’s Office of Regulatory Affairs and Office of Chief Counsel in determining regulatory strategies for follow up action. Currently, she works on compliance policy development. She is also co-lead for the FSMA Phase 2 workgroup for implementation of the Preventive Controls in Human foods regulation.

Omar A. Oyarzabal, Ph.D., Independent Consultant, EAS Consulting Group, LLC

EAS Independent Consultant, Omar Oyarzabal is an expert in microbiology and an Associate Professor of Food Safety at the University of Vermont Extension. He has taught food safety, bioinformatics, biostatistics, microbial risk assessment and management, and has delivered numerous international presentations and training courses on food safety in Asian and South American countries for more than 25 years. Oyarzabal serves a current member of the National Advisory Committee for Microbiological Criteria for Foods, a Certified HACCP Auditor (American Society for Quality), a Lead Instructor for the International HACCP Alliance, a Lead Instructor for Preventive Control for Human Food, Foreign Supplier Verification Program, the Sprout Safety Alliance and the Better Process Control School. Oyarzabal is the co-editor of two books: Microbial Food Safety: An Introduction, and DNA Methods in Food Safety: Molecular Typing of Foodborne and Waterborne Bacterial Pathogens. Oyarzabal also serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journal Microbial Risk Analysis, published by Elsevier. Oyarzabal holds a degree in Veterinary Medicine from the National University of Rio IV, Argentina, and an M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in food safety/microbiology from Auburn University in Auburn, AL.

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