When selling food, cosmetics, drugs, and medical devices, you think beyond the figures of your sales and the performance of your product in the market. You must also keep up with the various rules and regulations established by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to avoid facing issues in the long run.
Compliance with FDA guidelines is vital in ensuring that your products are safe to use. Failure to do so could lead to dire consequences for your consumers and your company. This might include physical harm to your customers, legal actions against your brand, unexpected adverse effects of your products, and loss of trust from the public. In fact, a recent study shows that 46% of consumers rely on FDA approved list to determine which products are safe to use before buying it.
With that being said, here are some tips on how you can ensure that your product is compliant with current FDA regulations:
Stay updated and informed
To ensure that your products are FDA-compliant, keep yourself updated and informed of the latest rules and regulations. Research and familiarize your product’s appropriate guidelines. So, how do you know if a product is FDA approved? This can easily be done by checking out their official website. They post all the crucial details to make sure that your product can get approved. Just always keep an eye on it in case of any changes.
Do extensive ingredient review
With sufficient knowledge, it is time that you dive right into the actual production process of your products. The first of which you must review is its ingredients. Determine whether you can use each ingredient for the type of product you are selling. For example, one of the FDA food regulations requires that general ingredients be recognized as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRaS). Likewise, you must steer clear of prohibited ingredients in their list. Aside from food, the FDA also regulates the ingredients on inedible products such as cosmetics. You can check out the list of approved ingredients on their official website or use software like Hawkscanner to search for acceptable ingredients directly into FDA’s database.
Remember to check the labels
FDA can also be very particular with product labeling, which includes the proper listing of ingredients used in your product and any critical warnings that your customer should know—especially if it’s related to health. Other food products might require mandatory nutrition labeling on the packaging, so you must note if your product is one of these. You also have to check your packaging and ensure it contains the appropriate labeling that your product must have as per the list of FDA regulations. This way, your customers can easily read what’s inside your product and the possible impact it can have on their bodies.
Work with reputable partners
To get your product out into the market, you would need to work with other companies in the process. These can be a product development company, some distributors, suppliers, or retailers. Regardless of what kind of company they are, you must ensure they are reliable, trustworthy, and FDA-compliant. Any issues on their part could also affect your company along the way. Legitimate firms get their reputation for adhering to the proper industry guidelines. Therefore, you can rest assured that your products are in safe hands. From manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, FDA has provided guidelines for them all. Therefore, choose based on their adherence to such regulations and their reliability to remain compliant.
Consider using a software
Making sure your products remain compliant with FDA’s rules and regulations can be challenging. With their ever-changing guidelines, it can get harder to keep track in the long run. Fortunately, you don’t have to do this alone. Numerous software solutions are available that can help you monitor and review your product compliance with the FDA. They can provide you up-to-date FDA guidelines on your product and help in monitoring and evaluating your product ingredients and labeling for you.
Ready to comply
Being in the food, cosmetics, and drugs industry means having a huge responsibility on your shoulder. After all, your products can directly affect the health of your customers. One wrong ingredient, labeling, or marketing could cause physical harm to them. Before you know it, your brand’s reputation could take a turn for the worse. To avoid such a fate, you must always make sure that your product is compliant with FDA standards. This means constantly reviewing the ingredients you use, the labels, and the processes for your product. And with the right tools, you can easily keep on top of such things and maintain your customers’ safety in turn.
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