FDA Food Facility Registration: Dairy Food Processors

 

To protect the U.S. public from an attack on the food supply, the FDA passed the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 (the Bioterrorism Act). This requires food processors that manufacture, process, pack or hold food to register their facilities with the FDA. The purpose of registration is to allow the FDA to be able to locate and contact food processors that may be affected in case of a potential bioterrorism incident or a foodborne illness outbreak.

 

Dairy food processors are subject to these regulations, and the list of all foods that that are covered under this regulation can be found on the Penn State Extension website and the FDA website. The FDA website has several guidance documents and FAQs to assist you in this process.

 

Some dairy processors may be exempt from registering their facility, especially if their primary sales outlet is directly to consumers, such as at a farmers market or your own farm stand. To find out if you qualify for this exemption, see the guidance document and flow chart on the FDA website on exemptions for small-scale processors and retail establishments.

 

There is no fee to register your facility. Registration is done online at the FDA website for Registration of Food Facilities. 

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.