August 10, 2000

Low Acid Canned Food Process Filing Improvement Underway

CFSAN has embarked on an effort to re-engineer and significantly improve the ability to receive, review and manage forms submitted in response to the Low Acid Canned Food Process (LACF) and Acidified Foods (AF) registration and process filing requirements. These efforts will reduce the cost of operations, facilitate access to critical filing data by Agency staff and provide a computer interface between FDA and filing firms.

Initiated in September 1999, Phase I is expected to be completed this summer. The existing LACF and AF data is being migrated from the current mainframe system to the CFSAN Wide Area Network. Migration of the data will allow the Center to provide improved access to LACF information, provide Agency staff with stronger data management capabilities, and create the necessary platform for development of an on-line filing capability.

Phase II, already underway, includes the development of an Internet (Web based) component to permit direct entry of information by the filer. Direct entry of data will make essential process information, submitted by the filer, more readily available to Agency users both at Headquarters and in the Field. This enhancement will speed the filing process and will have data quality checks performed during the on-line filing process.

Following the completion of the data migration and Internet data entry capabilities, FDA plans to develop on-line analysis capabilities, for use by CFSAN staff, to review process filings. The capability to electronically notify firms of data errors or deficiencies will also be incorporated.

Query and report generating functions are also being developed to assist agency staff with management of the LACF/AF filing process.

The additional enhancements to assist CFSAN staff in process review and management of the LACF/AF filing process are scheduled to be completed in year 2001.