ATF Online - Nonbeverage Drawback Formula Satisfaction Report

BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO AND FIREARMS Fiscal Year 1998 CUSTOMER SATISFACTION REPORT Program: Nonbeverage Drawback Formula Approval

Objective Performance Measure	Result
We will:
Approve, disapprove or identify deficiencies of submissions within 10 working days. Unusually complex products may require additional time, but these account for less than 10 percent of submissions.	5089 submissions received 4867 completed 56% completed within 10 days (FY98)
Respond to your telephone requests for information and assistance by the end of the following business day.	3840 requests received* 73% responded to by the next working day *numbers extrapolated from a sampling of calls
Hold in strictest confidence all information you provide us about your product formulas and manufacturing processes.	No violations identified. An electronic bulletin board system implemented to give industry access to status of their submissions.
Apply the same criteria to the evaluation of formula submissions from all our customers.	No violations identified. A peer review of completed formulas was implemented to ensure uniformity.

Service Improvement Commitments	Result
We will:
Decrease the processing time of formula submissions.	During FY1998 the processing time actually increased due to a severe shortage of staff. Industry was notified of the problem and worked in partnership with the Laboratory to minimize the impact on their business.
Identify and Confirm Authorized Company Contacts	Authorized company contact is now tracked as part of the database for the company records. This helps to ensure that only authorized individuals have access to proprietary information.
Development of a comprehensive information package.	Detailed instructions and examples for multiple product types have been composed and distributed to industry members.
Educational seminars for industry members.	Laboratory staff delivered two seminars during this fiscal year. One was targeted to manufacturers of homeopathic medications and the other to flavor manufacturers.
Industry conferences and plant visits.	Meetings with industry include: Annual Meeting of the Institute of Food Technologists Flavor and Extract Manufacturers’ Association American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists

Accomplishments for FY1998:

The electronic bulletin board system that was developed with the regulated industry was in full operation during this year. Authorized company representatives are able to access the system via modem and learn the status of their submissions to ATF. In addition, there is an opportunity to send and receive information concerning the submission.

We have been successful in developing a closer working relationship with the homeopathic medicine industry this year as well. This was accomplished through several meetings with representatives of the American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists. These meetings gave the industry members a better understanding of the regulatory requirements for their products and gave ATF’s chemists a better understanding of the practices of the industry.

This was last updated on April 05, 1999