The Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) final rule, established through the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), requires importers to verify that the food they are importing into the United States has been produced in a manner that meets applicable U.S. food safety standards.
To do this, importers are required to develop, implement, and maintain a Foreign Supplier Verification Program which includes verification activities and records of those activities for each imported food from each foreign supplier. During an FSVP inspection, the FDA investigator will review the importer’s records to determine their compliance with the FSVP regulation. To help importers determine the FSVP records they should develop and maintain, the FDA has made available a list of records required by the FSVP regulation.
This list of records is organized based on the sections of the FSVP regulation so that importers can readily determine the required records for the sections that apply to them. Importers should note that not every record on the list will be applicable to them, so they will need to determine whether they are subject to an exemption, standard FSVP requirements, or modified FSVP requirements.
FSVP compliance dates differ according to a number of factors including the size of the foreign supplier; the nature of the importer; and whether the foreign supplier is required to meet the requirements of the Preventive Controls for Human Food, the Preventive Controls for Animal Food, or the Produce Safety regulations. For more information on FSVP compliance dates visit the FSMA Compliance Dates webpage.
For More Information
· What do Importers Need to Know About FSVP: A Conversation with Sharon Mayl
