Food Safety Modernization Act Implementation Meeting Set
The Food and Drug Administration will hold the meeting March 29 to hear from stakeholders about the import safety provisions of the new law.
An FDA meeting on March 29 will give food industry stakeholders an opportunity to discuss how the agency is implementing the import safety provisions of the Food Safety Modernization Act enacted into law last year.
FDA's notice said the agency seeks information on importer verification, the Voluntary Qualified Importer Program, import certifications for food, and third-party accreditation. The meeting will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT in Silver Spring, Md. and will be available as a live webcast at https://collaboration.fda.gov/foodsafety. As soon as a transcript is available, it will be posted at http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FSMA/default.htm.
The Voluntary Qualified Importer Program, called for in the law, is a user fee-funded program to expedite entry into the United States of imported food from eligible, qualified importers. Accreditation will be a system whereby third-party auditors are authorized to issue certifications to import food and participate in the VQIP program.
FDA also has scheduled a public hearing March 30-31 in College Park, Md. to discuss its use of international comparability assessments to enhance the safety of imported foods and animal feed.