Under the Bioterrorism Act of 2002, cotton gins were required to register with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This registration requirement has been in place since December 12 of 2002. Even after almost 15 years, however, gins are still having questions about this process, and the process is evolving. In 2011, FDA’s role was updated by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), but this same registration requirement remains in effect.
For several years now, we have seen seed buyers occasionally ask gins to fill out paperwork that will help the buyers meet the requirements of FSMA, including requesting the gin’s food facility registration number. These requests have increased this year, especially in light of the two hurricanes that have impacted the US cotton crop. As our seed buyer’s downstream customers implement these FDA programs, we expect that the requests for certifications under this rule will continue to increase.
If you have not already registered as a food facility click here to access TCGA’s food facility registration web page for a registration link and additional information. This process only takes a few minutes. Be sure to retain your user name and log-in information. You will need to renew the registration every two years. If you prefer, you also access the FDA’s web page directly by clicking here.
As always, please contact your TCGA office with any questions about FDA or any other issue affecting your cotton gin operation.
