Meet FDA Food Safety Regulations with Zebra Environmental Sensors
Supply chains that store and transport food and pharmaceuticals face more stringent regulations each year. Recent mandates set by the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), require food manufacturers and producers to create a product and facility plan in order to prevent hazards and enforce quality control. The goal of this act is to help prevent foodborne illnesses and quickly identify compromised products in the event of an outbreak. According to the FDA, foodborne illnesses impact 48 million people each year in the U.S. These negative impacts on public health can range from sickness to even hospitalization and death. Environmental sensors can mitigate and even prevent these negative impacts by monitoring compliance and quality within production, storage, and shipping environments.
New Rules In Food & Drug Safety 
New requirements by the FDA are prompting food and pharmaceutical suppliers to establish additional methods for better record traceability and faster identification of contaminated consumer products before they reach the general public. Suppliers must now develop and implement plans for improving visibility and traceability in order to establish:
- A minimum standard for food safety.
- Proper conditions and processes for sanitary transportation.
- A hazardous analysis program with a set preventative plan in case of recalls or contaminated products.
Monitor & Meet Compliance with Zebra Environmental Sensors & Tags
Zebra’s Environmental Sensors and shipment indicators offer an easy-to-implement, scalable solution for collecting, recording, and documenting environmental data during storage and transportation. Zebra’s sensors can handle any environment and report on various conditions like freezing temperatures, heat exposure, moisture, and humidity. By tagging temperature-sensitive shipments, food and drug suppliers can achieve product traceability and documentation – meeting new safety requirements. Furthermore, these companies can eliminate product waste and loss, by drilling into exact batches, pallets, or units that don’t meet industry compliance.
3 Types of Temperature Indicators
Cold chain monitoring can be different based on the products you are working with and the level of visibility you desire. That is why Zebra offers three different available products:
- Temperature Indicator Cards and Labels – Alert personnel of any non-compliant temperature conditions throughout the shipping journey with these single-use adhesive labels.
- Environment-Sensitive Adhesive Labels – Combine barcode label printing and environmental monitoring with labels that change colors when exposed to a certain temperature or moisture level.
- Real-Time Electronic Sensors and Bluetooth Tags – You need constant updates and monitoring of temperature data. These tags can transmit information directly to a mobile device using Bluetooth transmitters, and then store it all for last-mile confirmation.
