What’s Detention Testing?
This is the process of proving that a product is not in violation of any law, regulation, or standard. This process establishes the integrity of a product. If the product was confiscated alongside other products due to classification by ingredient or country, detention testing is the process that will prove that the product is fit for consumption.
At Food Safety Net Services (FSNS), we help with the detention testing process. We have a network of ISO 17025 certified laboratories where samples are carried to for tests. FSNS also works with the FDA directly in submitting the required documents.
When pesticide detection is necessary, we have a team of experts ready to conduct the tests.
Establish the Integrity of a Product with Detention Testing
Detention testing allows producers to remove themselves from the pack. A product might become detained because of several regulatory factors, but there are ways to show a product is in compliance.
FSNS’ network of ISO 17025 accredited laboratories is ready to assist you with detention testing at all of our locations. If you are in need of Salmonella or pesticide detection, our expert staff will accurately and thoroughly complete the testing. FSNS will coordinate sampling and shipment to the laboratories for analysis and then will work directly with the FDA in submitting required documents.
Rest with the assurance that FSNS sampling and testing is in full compliance with the FDA Detained Without Physical Examination program (DWPE). Contact us to learn more.
How to Get Detention Testing
When the FDA detains or confiscates a product, it is often due to the red flags raised. The product might meet all the FDA requirements, but it must be proven before it can be released.
Here are steps to establish the integrity of a product:
1. Get Adequate Information about the Detention
The first step is to understand why a product is being detained. Producers want to be sure they are not in violation of any regulation, standard, or law. The FDA has provided several reasons why food and drug products can be red flagged on its website. Go through the listed reasons and assess where a violation might exist.
It is helpful to discuss the possibility of a violation with the production team.
If the product meets all the standards, having adequate information about the detention will give producers enough to challenge it. This provides enough data to take to the institution that can conduct detention testing on any product.
2. Conduct Detention Testing
This is where the integrity of a product is established. To conduct detention testing, a sample of the product is taken to the laboratory for analysis and examination.
Finding an institution with the right people and resources to conduct detention testing is essential. The reason for this is simple. Not all laboratories meet the standards set by the FDA, and not all institutions can work with the FDA directly. That is where we come in.
At FSNS, we have a network of ISO 17025 certified laboratories, and we can conduct the required tests and analysis to ascertain if a product is in full compliance with all the FDA regulations.
We oversee sampling and shipping to laboratories for analysis. We also work directly with the FDA in submitting the required documents.
3. Provide Necessary Documents
To ensure the process goes smoothly, producers should produce the necessary documents. FSNS is recognized by the FDA, and this makes it easy for us to get the required documents across for administrative purposes.
4. Outline Ways to Avoid Detention in the Future
An alert by the FDA can last for a year or more, but business must continue. This is vital when a product’s major market is in the United States.
To avoid future confiscation, getting a special permit or adjusting product ingredients may be necessary. A product can even boldly state on the label that it is free of those elements flagged by the FDA.
Then companies can return to the drawing board to find ways to position products better.
How to Easily Get Detention Testing for Detained Food Products
In March 2007, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began to investigate pet food in connection with the rising number of pet deaths. The agency discovered melamine and melamine analogs in certain pet foods and traced the contamination to products labeled as ‘wheat gluten’ and ‘rice protein concentrate’ imported from China.
In response to this discovery, the agency issued Import Alert #99-29 which authorized “the detention without physical examination of all vegetable protein products from China for animal or human food use, due to melamine and/or melamine analogs.”
Can we accurately say that all vegetable protein products from China contain melamine and/or melamine analogs?
In this type of situation, the solution is for producers to work with a reputable institution to conduct detention testing on their product to establish its integrity.
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