AIB International Tip Of The Week: Understanding The Foreign Supplier Verification Program

The Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) is a requirement that falls under the new FSMA regulations. The intent is to ensure food produced in other countries for export to the United States for consumption is as safe and follows the same food safety and food defense guidelines as if the facility was located in the United States. The responsible party that is required to ensure these programs are in place at the foreign facilities is the direct Importer, which is the agent that notifies the FDA of an incoming ingredient, raw material, or finished product. This direct importer can be a manufacturing facility, a distribution center, or even a broker.

This regulation is tied to the other FSMA regulations such as 21 CFR 117 Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis, and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food, Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food from Intentional Adulteration, and others. It is tied to them by requiring the importer to verify that a facility, if required, is complying with the FSMA regulations. This means that if a facility located in China is exporting a product such as cooked rice and they are required to register with the FDA they may need to comply with the Preventive Controls for Human Food rule. The importer would be required to verify that the food safety plan has been implemented and is working as intended at the facility located in China.

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