USA: FDA takes step to help ensure the safety of imported food

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In order to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) the U.S. Food and Drug Administration FDA has issued two proposed rules aimed at helping to ensure that imported food meets the same safety standards as food produced in the United States.
Under the proposed regulations for the Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP), importers would be accountable for verifying that their foreign suppliers are implementing modern, prevention-oriented food safety practices, and achieving the same level of food safety as domestic growers and processors.
These proposals work in concert with the proposed rules released in January 2013, for produce safety and preventive controls in facilities that produce human food. Those proposed rules are currently open for comment until September 16, 2013, but the FDA intends to grant a 60-day final extension of the comment period to allow commenters an opportunity to consider the interrelationships between the January proposals and the two proposals that have now been announced (FDA News Release, 26 July 2013).
Click here for the news release.
Click here for the proposed regulations for the FSVP.