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/950112
BY RON TANNER O n January 24, 2018, the FDA released several draft guidances to inform the industry of its current thinking on five of the most significant regulations of the Food Safety Modernization Act, including one on the Foreign Supplier Verification Program. FDA stresses that these guidances "should" be viewed as recommendations, not as legally enforceable responsibilities. Nevertheless, complying with these rules is in the best interest of your company and the specialty food industry. Food Safety Update: FDA Guidance Sheds Light on FSVP Implementation The FDA issued its final FSVP regulation for importers on November 27, 2015. This regulation is the most sweeping change in FSMA in that it requires U.S. importers to verify the safety of the food that they bring into the U.S. The FDA now has the authority to regulate the import community. Importers must perform risk-based verification of their foreign suppliers. The food they bring into the U.S. must be: • Produced in compliance with Preventive Controls for Human Food regulation, ensuring the food is as safe as any food pro- duced in the U.S. • Not adulterated • Not misbranded Importers need to have the paperwork that proves this, at their place of business in the U.S., ready for inspection by the FDA. The regulation sets requirements for: • The use of qualified individuals to conduct FSVP activities • Hazard analysis • Food and supplier evaluation • Foreign supplier verification • Corrective actions • Recordkeeping • Importer identification for a food offered for entry into the U.S. FDA has been listening to comments and questions from the food industry for more than two years. Many questions address who is the importer and what is their responsibility. With the complex supply chain that moves food around the world, these questions are not always easily answered. specialty food maker 74 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com