66e0872075bdeb74084c52ff Shutterstock 2348693073

How FSMA Rule 204 will impact food production operations

Sept. 10, 2024
Engineers will need to design systems that are flexible, allowing for ongoing upgrades as regulatory requirements and best practices evolve

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Rule 204, set to be enforced in 2026, requires food manufacturers to implement advanced traceability systems, which directly impacts how machinery in production environments must be designed and integrated.

Controls engineers tasked with building equipment for these factories, Automation World reported, must ensure that their machines can capture, process, and store the required data at each critical tracking point. This means integrating sensors, automation systems and real-time data collection solutions to record and manage information such as lot numbers, locations and dates, enabling fast identification and removal of contaminated products.

A FSMA Rule 204 overview

  • Objective: Strengthen food safety by enhancing traceability and record-keeping across the supply chain.
  • Implementation: Manufacturers must document specific data elements for critical tracking events to enable rapid identification and removal of contaminated food.

The transition to digital record-keeping systems, leveraging automated data capture, will also be crucial for ensuring compliance. Additionally, machinery designed for food processing environments must align with the new operational focus on predictive analytics and AI-based risk management to improve efficiency and compliance.

Controls engineers will play a key role in implementing advanced technologies like machine learning to detect and resolve potential issues before they arise. To learn more about FSMA Rule 204, read the full article from Automation World, a Control Design partner publication.

Sponsored Recommendations

Automation technology continues to advance the capabilities of packaging equipment.This new State of Technology Report from the editors of Control Design covers the ways packaging...
Protecting processes from explosive risks is a matter of life and property. Ensure electrical safety in hazardous locations by installing solutions certified to IEC and NEC standards...
Transform your machine's safety system. Discover how to upgrade with configurable products, scalable designs, and simplified wiring for improved diagnostics and long-term reliability...
Unlock the benefits of ASi with our Engineer’s Guide: Learn how to reduce wiring, cut costs, and improve flexibility in your automation systems.