The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) mandated the creation of a food safety system that places primary focus on preventing problems versus reacting to problems after they occur. The provisions established under FSMA include the creation of preventive controls for the production of human and animal foods, risk-based activities for verification of food safety standards, science-based safety standards for produce grown on farms, and preventive practices related to sanitary transportation of human and animal foods. The provisions apply to both domestic food producers and to those located in foreign countries who export food into the United States.
The import community will primarily be impacted by the Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) rule, which requires FSVP importers verify the food they import meets U.S. safety standards. For the purpose of FSVP, the importer is defined as the U.S. owner or consignee of the food offered for import (i.e., owns the food, has purchased it, or has agreed in writing to purchase it). If there is no U.S. owner or consignee at time of entry, the FSVP importer is the U.S. agent/representative of the foreign owner/consignee.
An informational FSVP fact sheet has been posted on FDA’s website and may be accessed through the following website link:
- FSVP At-A-Glance: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/UCM502160.pdf
For more information regarding the Final Rule on FSVP, FSMA compliance dates, and other FSMA provisions, please visit the following website links:
- FSMA Final Rule FSVP: http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/ucm361902.htm
- FSVP Compliance Dates: http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/FSMA/ucm503822.htm
- FSMA Provisions: http://www.fda.gov/food/guidanceregulation/fsma/default.htm
Questions related to the FSMA provisions may be submitted to the FDA FSMA Technical Assistance Network:
Further questions or help, please contact OCEANAIR Compliance at (781) 286-2700.
