Today on Consuming the Craft, I welcomed Chris Reedy, Senior Director of Food, Beverage, and Natural Products Industry Training at the Natural Products Laboratory and Test Kitchen of NC BioNetwork. We dove deep into the rapidly evolving food safety landscape, particularly focusing on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) 204 and its sweeping impact on food and beverage traceability. Our conversation ranged from the intricate logistics of tracking every ingredient in a sandwich to the challenges faced by beverage producers, natural product makers, and those entering the world of CBD and THC-infused products. We didn’t shy away from discussing the regulatory Wild West these days, the importance of good manufacturing practices, and what’s coming down the pike for craft producers as federal scrutiny ramps up. Chris Reedy brings decades of expertise in the intersection of food, beverage, natural products, and industry training. As the mind behind NC BioNetwork’s laboratory and test kitchen, he has helped countless producers, from breweries to natural supplement startups, navigate regulations, quality control, and product development. His insights stem from both a scientific and a practical industry perspective, ensuring that companies strike a balance between innovation and safety and compliance. Chris is a passionate advocate for proactive quality management and is intimately familiar with both the promise and pitfalls of rapidly expanding product categories, such as CBD, THC, and functional foods. “I hope these companies that are making these products are going to start acting  like food and beverage companies.” ~Chris Reedy Today on Consuming the Craft: ·     FSMA 204 requirements will soon compel all food supply chain businesses to maintain thorough traceability records for every ingredient, ingredient source, and lot, greatly improving speed and accuracy in foodborne illness recalls.·     Transportation and logistics—especially temperature and sanitation in refrigerated trucking, remain a huge compliance challenge and could become a pain point as regulations tighten.·     Even small producers, like sandwich makers and brewers, must adopt lot coding and traceability, associating each output with precise ingredient origins.·     THC and CBD-infused foods, beverages, and supplements are currently in regulatory limbo, with the FDA focusing initial enforcement mainly on products that pose a risk to children or appear as copycats of popular snacks.·     Many CBD and THC product makers fail basic quality assurance: lack of testing, unclear dosing on packaging, and no third-party certification, all of which can cause dangerous dosing errors.·     Field-to-shelf testing for compounds like THC in hemp products requires a DEA-registered lab, making comprehensive quality assurance both expensive and complex for startups.·     State and federal agencies lack the manpower to inspect and enforce these new standards fully, so proactive internal quality systems and involving health officials early are recommended.·     Training, workforce development, and support from entities like NC BioNetwork can help companies establish robust quality management systems and prepare for both current and coming inspections. Contact Chris Reedy: NC BioNetwork – https://ncbionetwork.org/ (https://ncbionetwork.org/) Resources Mentioned: NC BioNetwork Laboratory & Industry Training: Food, beverage, and natural products services, COA assistance, and product testing information.FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act) 204 – details on new federal traceability requirements.