The NACD Annual Meeting is all about bringing together industry leaders to help better understand and address top challenges facing chemical distributors. Kestrel’s Jake Taylor will be available throughout the Annual Meeting and would enjoy the opportunity to talk further about your company’s challenges—and how we can help.

NACD Annual Meeting
November 12-15, 2018
Omni Las Costa | Carlsbad, California

Kestrel has been a long-standing NACD Preferred Compliance Provider, Responsible Distribution Adviser, and Gold Corporate Sponsor. We provide leading EHS&S and food safety compliance expertise, information technology integration, and Responsible Distribution assistance. Whether helping members manage audits, inspections, and overall compliance or creating technology solutions tailored to your business needs, Kestrel will help address your challenges.

Look for us in the Business Marketplace at booth #15.

We look forward to seeing our clients and friends—both old and new—at the Annual Meeting in Carlsbad!

Attending the Food Safety Consortium? Make plans to also join Kestrel at the FSSC 22000 Information Day on November 13, 2018. We will be joined by Cor Groenveld, Market Development Manager, and Jacqueline Southee, NA Representative, both with FSSC 22000, the GFSI-benchmarked certification program.

Learn about:

• Implications and benefits of the recent updates to FSSC 22000
• How the revised ISO 22000 standard will impact FSSC 22000
• The future of food safety management
• How the new FSSC 22000 certification can benefit your food safety program

FSSC 22000 Information Day
Hosted by Kestrel Management and FSSC 22000
November 13, 2018
8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (includes networking lunch)
1821 Walden Office Square Suite 400
Schaumburg, IL

And stop by to visit Kestrel at the Food Safety Consortium – Booth #119. If you haven’t registered, yet, please be our guest and use our discount code (Cubs) at registration.

OSHA has issued a memorandum to clarify the agency’s position regarding workplace incentive programs and drug testing. OSHA’s rule prohibiting employer retaliation against employees for reporting work-related injuries or illnesses does not prohibit workplace safety incentive programs or post-incident drug testing. The Department believes that these safety incentive programs and/or post-incident drug testing is done to promote workplace safety and health. Action taken under a safety incentive program or post-incident drug testing policy would violate OSHA’s anti-retaliation rule if the employer took the action to penalize an employee for reporting a work-related injury or illness rather than for the legitimate purpose of promoting workplace safety and health. For more information, see the memorandum

On behalf of our team, Kestrel Management would like to invite you to attend the 6th Annual Food Safety Consortium Conference & Expo on Nov. 13-15 in Schaumburg, IL.

The Consortium is a premiere event for food safety education and networking—and we want to offer you the chance to visit us at the event (booth #119) for a discounted rate (see offer below).

You can accomplish more in two or three days at the Food Safety Consortium than you might otherwise achieve in weeks! Here are five ways the Food Safety Consortium will allow you to enhance your business:

• Get expert advice on specific challenges faced by your business.
• Listen to insights from thought leaders & innovators.
• Stay up-to-date with emerging or changing trends.
• Upgrade your skills, knowledge and on-the-job effectiveness.
• Gain new ideas and insights to grow your business.

Come see Kestrel at booth #119. When you register, use our discount code Cubs and receive a 20% discount off registration.

Our team is proud to be part of the Food Safety Consortium and hope to see you there!

The AirWorks 2018 Conference is focused on the growing commercial drone industry and how developers, partners, and operators can work to reshape the global economy with drones. This year, Kestrel Management will be teaming with Union Pacific Railroad to talk about our experience and lessons learned from managing industrial-scale drone programs.

AirWorks 2018
October 30 – November 1, 2018
Dallas, Texas

Kestrel Presentation: Bringing Your Drone Program to Scale: Lessons Learned from Going Big

Thursday, November 1 at 11:00 a.m.
Rachel Mulholland, Kestrel Management Consultant, Industrial UAS Programs
Edward Adelman, Union Pacific Railroad, General Director of Safety

This presentation will discuss the risks and opportunities associated with building an industrial drone program and share some of the lessons learned from our experience. We’ll discuss common questions, including the following:

• What does it take to build an industrial drone program?
• How can UAS technology fit into your current business model?
• What challenges can occur with fleets of certified remote pilots and unmanned vehicles?
• How do you ensure you operate in compliance with FAA regulations?
• What are some common pitfalls to avoid and best practices to incorporate into your program?

Why You Should Attend

If you currently have a drone program or are looking to implement one, this event is for you!

• Attend sessions focused on the industry track most relevant to your business: construction, energy, agriculture, public safety, infrastructure
• Network with companies that are on the forefront of enterprise drone adoption
• Get a preview of the latest drone technologies
• Receive hands-on training from experienced industry leaders and instructors

When looking at FSMA, it’s important to look at what we should be doing in industry under FSMA’s prevention scheme. FDA seeks for companies to assess risk and implement preventive controls on a broad basis. Thinking about risk-based strategies, whether in the supply chain, internal systems, or whether you are a grower or an importer, is key for any food company when planning for the future.

From Reactive to Proactive

With the FSMA rules, FDA has moved from reactive to proactive. Preventive strategies are the essence of FSMA. Proactively creating or updating a food defense and safety plan is the first step to ensure compliance.

The four “A’s” of food defense, as outlined below, provide a methodology for building a proactive and comprehensive food defense program.

Step 1: Assess
Assess the risks throughout the supply chain, including to the origin of raw materials. Conduct a vulnerability assessment of weaknesses and critical control points to identify where someone could attempt product adulteration. The focus must be both inside and outside of company walls and extend to the source of materials and services within the supply chain for producers and distributors of food to the public.

Step 2: Access
Who has access to critical control points and food material risk areas? Pay close attention to the four key activity types that FDA has identified as particularly vulnerable to adulteration:

• Mixing and grinding activities that involve a high volume of food with a high potential for uniform mixing of a contaminant
• Ingredient handling with open access to the product stream
• Bulk liquid receiving and loading
• Liquid storage and handling, which is typically located in remote, isolated areas

Restrict access to these areas from suppliers, contractors, visitors, and most employees—limiting access to critical employees only. This provides a higher level of protection, and supports video and/or physical monitoring.

Step 3: Alerts
Alerts of intentional and unintentional food adulteration must be sent to the appropriate individuals, according to the documented food safety and defense program. Response time is critical. Every passing minute is a minute when more health risks could develop, leading to a greater chance of negative impacts on public safety and the related businesses.

Step 4: Audit
Auditing operational and regulatory compliance helps to ensure and maintain best food defense practices and provide documentation of compliance to regulators. FSMA promotes the safety of the U.S. food supply by focusing on prevention, rather than reactive response. Prevention is only as effective as the actual compliance processes put in place. Regular and random auditing, including remote video monitoring, provides evidence confirming that the appropriate preventive measures are taken and effective.

Taking a proactive approach to food defense that follows these four “A’s” will help meet a key requirement by ensuring that the organization is working to avoid the risks associated with food adulteration and contamination.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled on Friday, September 21, 2018 that the EPA must implement the Obama-era Risk Management Plan (RMP) Rule. This comes on the heels of the Court’s ruling on August 17, 2018, which stated that EPA does not have authority to delay final rules for the purpose of reconsideration. Usually, the Court would allow 52 days for the EPA to consider appealing the order and to plan how to implement the rule; however, groups supporting the regulation argued that it can’t wait.

Read more about the currently Court ruling.

On Monday, September 17, 2018, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released a list of approximately $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, including hundreds of chemicals, that will be subject to additional tariffs. The additional tariffs will be effective starting September 24, 2018, and initially will be in the amount of 10 percent. Starting January 1, 2019, the level of the additional tariffs will increase to 25 percent.

In the final list, the administration also removed nearly 300 items, but the Administration did not provide a specific list of products excluded. Included among the products removed from the proposed list are certain consumer electronics products, such as smart watches and Bluetooth devices; certain chemical inputs for manufactured goods, textiles and agriculture; certain health and safety products such as bicycle helmets, and child safety furniture such as car seats and playpens.

Individual companies may want to review the list to determine the status of Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) codes of interest.

View the final tariff list here.

Read the USTR press release.

Join the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) and Kestrel Principal Evan Fitzgerald for a free webinar on Responsible Distribution Code XIII. We will be taking a deeper dive into Code XIII.D., which focuses on cybersecurity and information. Find out ways to protect your company from this constantly evolving threat.

NACD Responsible Distribution Webinar
Code XIII & Cybersecurity Breaches
Thursday, September 20, 2018
12:00 -1:00 p.m. (EDT)

Supply chain management is becoming more and more relevant to small and entrepreneurial food businesses, particularly related to FSMA requirements that are required to be fully implemented by this September. To meet these requirements, it is important for small businesses to understand:

• Applicable FSMA requirements
• How to develop a supplier approval program
• What challenges companies may encounter and tips to overcome them
• How to find an appropriate starting point to develop a supply chain management program

Read Kestrel Senior Consultant Melody Ge‘s latest article in Food Safety Tech, written to help small and entrepreneurial companies understand the basics of food supply chain management to start formulating their own programs.