FDA releases International Food Safety Capacity-Building Plan

FDA releases International Food Safety Capacity-Building Plan The Food Safety Modernization Act required plan aims to improve food safety of food products imported into the US, which account for roughly 15 percent of the total food consumed in the US. By Terrence O'Keefe The Food Safety

Terrence O'Keefe

February 28, 2013

The Food Safety Modernization Act directs the U.S. Food and Drug Administration “to develop a comprehensive plan to increase the technical, scientific, and regulatory food safety capacity of foreign governments and their respective food industries, from which foods are exported to the U.S.” This emphasis on enhancing the safety of food products imported into the U.S. is a reflection of the global marketplace for food, particularly fresh fruits and vegetables. Approximately 20 percent of fresh vegetables, 50 percent of fresh fruit, and 80 percent of seafood that are consumed in the US are imported.

The Food Safety Modernization Act calls for numerous enhanced international collaborations as well as the development of the International Food Safety Capacity-Building Plan. According to an FDA statement, the recently released plan sets forth a strategic framework for how the FDA will develop international food safety capacity. The agency reports that it may develop a more specific, detailed operational document for implementing its capacity-building strategies at a later date.

The Food Safety Modernization Act mandated changes to the U.S. food import system include:

Importer accountability: For the first time, importers have an explicit responsibility to verify that their foreign suppliers have adequate preventive controls in place to ensure that the food they produce is safe.
Third-party certification: FSMA directs the FDA to establish a program through which qualified third parties can certify that foreign food facilities comply with U.S. food safety standards. This certification may be used to facilitate the entry of imports.
Certification for known food safety risks: The FDA has the authority to require that imported foods with a known food safety risk be accompanied by a certification or other assurance of compliance as a condition of entry into the U.S.
Voluntary qualified importer program: The FDA must establish a voluntary program for importers that provides for expedited review and entry of foods from participating importers. Eligibility is limited to, among other things, importers offering food from certified facilities.
Authority to deny entry: The FDA can refuse entry of food from a foreign facility into the U.S. if the facility or the country in which the facility is located refuses to permit entry of FDA inspectors to inspect the facility.
Capacity building of foreign governments with respect to food safety: The FDA has been tasked to develop this comprehensive plan to expand food safety capacity of foreign governments and their respective food industries that export foods to the U.S.