Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/654717
All-natural, small-batch, delicious recipes Chutneys | Horseradish | Fruit Spreads CS@EPC-NA.com www.EnglishProvender.com @EnglishProvCo SINCE 1979 Summer Fancy Food Show Booth 4377 Summer Fancy Food Show Booth 4320 A safe imported food supply is supported by all in the specialty food industry. Since 2011, the FDA has been working on the regulations and has conducted public hearings, taken written comments, and had face-to-face listening sessions with stakeholders, including the Specialty Food Association. The SFA has testified at six public hearings and had two listening sessions at the FDA offices in College Park, Maryland, including a session during which importers and retailers addressed the value of imported products to the food choices of American consumers. Overall, 14 members have spoken to the FDA to put a "face" to the specialty food industry. The SFA has been stressing the impact that the regulations will have on its members, and has requested the FDA make special considerations for small and very small businesses. What Is the Foreign Supplier Verification Program? The Foreign Supplier Verification Program requires importers to take more control over the food chain. As the FDA states, "This clarification and strengthening of the importer's responsibility for food safety is the centerpiece of the new law's import safety reform." There are three basic responsibilities: 1. To perform risk-based foreign supplier verification activities 2. To verify that the food being imported is produced accord- ing to FDA rules, basically making sure that the food would meet the U.S. criteria for food safety identified in the Preventive Controls Final Rule 3. To determine that the product is not adulterated or misla- beled, including the presence of allergens Records must be kept for two years and be easily accessible to the FDA. Developing a Foreign Supplier Verification Program Importers must verify, via a required written program, that food being imported from each of their suppliers is produced under a system that would meet the Preventive Controls rules in the U.S. For instance, an importer who brings in olive oils from 20 suppliers in four different countries would need to have a written program for each of the suppliers. The verification could include: • Checking the hazard analysis and risk-based controls of the foreign suppliers • Monitoring records for shipments • Lot-by-lot certification of compliance • Annual on-site inspections • Periodical testing and sampling of shipments Importers must verify the safety of their supply chain. At the crux of the program is determining known or reasonably foreseeable hazards SPRING 2016 79