ABSTRACT
The rules identified in Chapter 1 demonstrate the statutory authority of both the FDA and the USDA to regulate food manufacturing and distribution. Both agencies also have the authority to conduct inspections in the plant. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) typically has inspectors in the plant, referred to as Consumer Safety Inspectors (CSIs), on a regular basis are supported by their direct supervisor, the Front Line Supervisor, and can be supplemented by Enforcement, Inspection, Analysis Officers (EIAOs), who are typically brought in to conduct in-depth verification of a plant food safety system. The FDA, however, does not have inspectors on site in food manufacturing plants. They rely on inspectors to go into facilities on a routine or directed basis to conduct inspections. This chapter identifies the rights of inspectors to conduct inspections and their means of control when violations are suspected or are found. It also provides food plants with the basis for preparing an internal protocol for handling regulatory inspections. It will also provide food manufacturers with the basis for preparing a recall program in the event inspection findings lead to the need to pull product from distribution.
