NCQM — National Committee for Quality Management

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Industry reference

Food & Beverages

Safety controls follow the product and the process. Establish whether the food is ready to eat, refrigerated, acidified, low acid, imported or subject to another specialized pathway before selecting a control program.

A product-specific review

Move from scope to evidence

  1. Define the product and activity

    Describe the formulation, processing steps, packaging, distribution temperature and intended consumers. These facts help distinguish general human food controls from specialized seafood, juice, produce, acidified or low-acid canned food provisions. Establish the responsible facility and import activities before selecting the relevant records.

  2. Connect requirements to evidence

    Connect hazard analysis to the controls actually used in production. Review monitoring, verification, sanitation and supplier information in the relevant framework. A finished-product test can provide useful evidence without demonstrating that every process or supply-chain control has operated as required.

  3. Review interfaces and changes

    Review ingredient, nutrition, allergen and other label information against the finished formulation and claims. For imports, assess the applicable supplier verification and entry responsibilities separately. Revisit the baseline when ingredients, processing, packaging or intended use changes.

12 source profiles

Requirements and technical resources

Review the references relevant to your product and activity. This selected federal collection does not replace a separate review of applicable state, local or contractual requirements.

Federal regulationFDA

Acidified Foods: Scheduled Processes and Acidification Controls

21 CFR Part 114; 21 CFR 108.25

Acidified-food controls address low-acid ingredients brought to an equilibrium pH within the regulatory definition, together with water-activity and product-category considerations. Part 114 covers scheduled processes, supervision, pH control, container handling, deviations and records. Part 108 adds registration and process-filing duties. Product classification is essential because naturally acid foods, refrigerated products and low-acid canned foods can follow different provisions.

Food & Beverages

Federal regulationFDA

Conventional Food Nutrition Labeling

21 CFR 101.9 and 101.12

Nutrition labeling connects serving-size rules, nutrient declarations, daily values and presentation requirements. A technically correct nutrient calculation does not by itself establish a compliant label. Product category, package size, claims and exemptions affect the analysis. FDA’s current industry resources should be read with the regulation; its older Food Labeling Guide expressly warns that its nutrition chapter is not fully updated.

Food & Beverages

Federal regulationFDA

Food Contact Substance Notifications and Conditions of Use

21 CFR 170.100–170.106; FD&C Act section 409(h)

The food contact notification system is a defined premarket route for certain substances used in food-contact materials. Its scope is tied to the notified substance, intended use and identified manufacturer or supplier. FDA’s inventory must be read with the notification’s limitations and effectiveness status. An effective notification is not a general approval of every finished package using a similar material.

Food & Beverages

Federal regulationFDA

Foreign Supplier Verification Programs for Food Importers

21 CFR Part 1, Subpart L

FSVP places risk-based verification responsibilities on the defined U.S. importer of food. The program links the food’s hazards, the foreign supplier’s performance, supplier approval, verification activities and corrective action. It is not satisfied simply by obtaining a certificate. Seafood, juice, low-acid canned food, dietary supplements and certain small-importer situations have specific regulatory treatment.

Food & BeveragesAnimal Food & Veterinary ProductsDietary Supplements

Federal regulationFDA

Human Food: Current Good Manufacturing Practice and Preventive Controls

21 CFR Part 117

Part 117 connects hygienic food production with a written, risk-based food safety system. Its preventive-controls provisions generally cover facilities required to register with FDA, while the applicability of current good manufacturing practice is not determined solely by registration. The regulation addresses hazard analysis, preventive controls, verification, supplier controls and records, with exemptions and modified requirements for specified operations.

Food & Beverages

Federal regulationFDA

Juice HACCP: Hazard Analysis and Pathogen Reduction

21 CFR Part 120

Part 120 establishes a juice-specific HACCP system, including written hazard analysis, sanitation controls, trained personnel and records. Its pathogen-reduction provisions contain important product and processing distinctions. Retail juice, shelf-stable products, thermally concentrated products and low-acid canned juice cannot be treated as interchangeable categories. FDA’s guidance explains hazards and the relationship with FSMA without creating a separate approval scheme.

Food & Beverages

Federal regulationFDA

Low-Acid Canned Foods: Thermal Processing and Container Integrity

21 CFR Part 113; 21 CFR 108.35

Part 113 addresses commercial processing of low-acid foods packaged in hermetically sealed containers. It connects scientifically established scheduled processes with retort or other processing systems, container closure integrity, critical factors and production records. Registration and process filing arise under Part 108. The framework concerns commercial sterility and process control, not a general nutritional or product-quality endorsement.

Food & Beverages

Federal regulationUSDA APHIS

Plants and Plant Products: APHIS Import Conditions

7 CFR Part 319; commodity-specific conditions and applicable Federal Orders

Plant imports are evaluated for plant-pest risk through commodity- and origin-specific conditions. Part 319 provides quarantine restrictions, while APHIS’s Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements resource identifies operational requirements and applicable Federal Orders. Permits, phytosanitary certificates, treatments and inspection may be required in particular cases. Plant-health admissibility does not establish food labeling compliance, organic certification or approval under another agency’s regulatory program.

Agriculture, Grading & Organic ProductsFood & Beverages

Federal regulationFDA

Produce Safety: Growing, Harvesting, Packing and Holding

21 CFR Part 112

Part 112 establishes minimum practices for covered produce during growing, harvesting, packing and holding. Its coverage depends on the commodity, activities and farm circumstances. Worker hygiene, agricultural water, biological soil amendments, animals, equipment and sprouts receive specific treatment. The amended pre-harvest agricultural-water provisions for non-sprout produce must be distinguished from harvest and post-harvest water requirements.

Food & BeveragesAgriculture, Grading & Organic Products

Federal regulationFDA

Seafood HACCP: Fish and Fishery Products

21 CFR Part 123

Seafood HACCP addresses hazards associated with fish, handling and processing conditions. Covered processors conduct a hazard analysis and implement a HACCP plan when a food-safety hazard is reasonably likely to occur. Sanitation monitoring, trained personnel, verification, records and importer responsibilities accompany the plan. FDA’s fish-hazards guidance supports product-specific analysis but does not replace the regulation.

Food & Beverages

Federal regulationUSDA AMS

USDA Organic: Production, Handling and Certification

7 CFR Part 205

The National Organic Program establishes requirements for products sold, labeled or represented as organic. Part 205 covers production and handling practices, permitted materials, labeling, certification and oversight. Certification applies to a defined operation and scope, with limited exemptions. Strengthening Organic Enforcement expanded supply-chain oversight, including certification and import-certificate requirements. Organic status does not replace food-safety, plant-health or other applicable market requirements.

Agriculture, Grading & Organic ProductsFood & Beverages

Government technical standardNIST

Weighing and Measuring Device Requirements

NIST Handbook 44, 2026 edition

NIST Handbook 44 provides specifications, tolerances and technical requirements for weighing and measuring devices. The 2026 edition is a technical reference for commercial measurement. Practical application depends on the device category and the edition or provisions adopted by the responsible jurisdiction, making adoption status an essential part of a device requirements review.

Agriculture, Grading & Organic ProductsFood & BeveragesIndustrial Machinery & Electrical EquipmentGovernment Procurement & Technical Supply

Build a defensible review record

Identify the product configuration, the controlling provision and edition, the evidence required and the person authorized to make the decision. Keep a reason for exclusions and unresolved questions alongside confirmed requirements.

Revisit the record when design, materials, suppliers, software, claims or the applicable source changes. An earlier report remains useful only to the extent that it supports the current configuration and requirement.

Practice guidance