The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released final produce safety, foreign supplier verification and third party accreditation rules as part of its ongoing effort to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The rules build on the preventive control rules finalized in September 2015, which mandate preventive practices in food processing and storage facilities.
The Produce Safety rule establishes science-based standards for growing, harvesting, packing and holding produce that are designed to work effectively to promote food safety across the diversity of produce farms.
The Foreign Supplier Verification Programs rule requires food importers to verify that foreign suppliers produce food in a manner that meets U.S. safety standards. Meanwhile, the Accredited Third-Party Certification rule establishes a program for the accreditation of third-party certification bodies to conduct food safety audits and to certify that foreign food facilities, and food produced by such facilities, meet applicable FDA food safety requirements.
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