Adam Friedlander is a Policy Analyst in FDA’s Coordinated Outbreak Response and Evaluation (CORE) Network, where he helps lead the agency’s efforts to advance strategic, tech-enabled traceability initiatives under the New Era of Smarter Food Safety. Through collaboration and by leveraging the power of data, he hopes to help transform the food system to become more digital, transparent, and safe for consumers around the world. Adam graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. degree in Food Science and Operations Management and a minor in Music. He received his M.S. degree in Regulatory Affairs of Food and Food Industries from Northeastern University.

Joseph (Joe) Lasprogata is a longtime seafood veteran with over 30 years in the industry. His love and passion started with his degree in Marine Biology, which took him to several corners of the world to source the best and most unique seafood available, assisting top chefs with menu development, and helping introduce, develop, and distribute over 30 million pounds of seafood annually. As Vice President of New Product Development at Samuels Seafood, he works directly with producers, aquaculture, and multiple non-governmental organizations to introduce new products and develop successful brands. Joe has a true appreciation and unique insight to the seafood industry and its potential upcoming challenges. Most recently, he developed a digital traceability system to comply with both FDA shellfish regulations and the newly instituted Food Traceability Final Rule, FSMA Section 204.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we speak with Adam and Joe [17:49] about:

• How the Food Traceability Final Rule will work, and why FDA estimates that it will speed up foodborne illness outbreak investigations by 80 percent
• Certain questions and concerns that industry may have for FDA regarding the execution of the Food Traceability Final Rule
• The digital traceability system that Samuels Seafood developed to comply with both the FDA National Shellfish Sanitation Program and the Food Traceability Final Rule
• FDA’s emphasis that the Traceability Rule defines for industry what records to keep, rather than how industry should keep those records
• FDA’s plan to create a product tracing system to allow information to be provided to FDA in a secure way
• Perceived gaps in awareness about the Food Traceability Final Rule within the seafood industry
• Benefits to traceability that could encourage industry to voluntarily adopt the standards set by the Final Food Traceability Rule, even for companies that produce foods not included on the Food Traceability List (FTL)
• The nuances and possible challenges of the Food Traceability Final Rule that industry may wish to see addressed by FDA, and specific challenges that the rule may present for the seafood industry
• FDA’s vision for traceability efforts to be widely adopted and harmonized
• The resources offered by FDA’s Technical Assistance Network, which exists to provide answers to industry on FSMA inquiries.

This episode of Food Safety Matters also features an interview [40:18] with Rob Clark and John McPherson of rfxcel to discuss FSMA 204 and where to get guidance on how it may affect your operations and how to get started. Powered by rfxcel technology, Antares Vision Group provides a unified end-to-end supply chain platform, facilitating digitalization of supply chains.

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