FDA issued final guidance Tuesday for the Foreign Supplier Verification Programs for Importers of Food for Humans and Animals.
FSVP is a regulation under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act that makes importers accountable for verifying that foreign suppliers meet U.S. safety standards when producing food.
This guidance equips importers with information about how they can comply with FSVP regulations, including recommendations on the requirements to analyze the hazards in food, a framework to evaluate a potential foreign supplier’s performance and the risk posed by the food, and tools to determine and conduct appropriate foreign supplier verification activities.
The recent rule also addresses how importers can meet modified FSVP requirements across many categories. For example, requirements for importers of dietary supplements or "very small" importers will have different needs than a seafood-based importer or larger-scale importer.
In response to comments received about draft guidance released in 2018, the administration incorporated changes into the final guidance, including providing additional clarification regarding to which foods the FSVP regulation applies, what information must be included in the FSVP, and who must develop and perform FSVP activities.
FDA has also collaborated with the Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance to develop training materials to facilitate FSVP compliance by importers.
Related: Rogers: Many Small Businesses Unaware of FSVP Requirements; What the Food Traceability Rule Will Mean for Makers