To carry out a 2011 food safety law, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is
proposing two rules to help ensure that imported food meets the same safety
standards as food produced in the United States.
Under the proposed rules, importers would be accountable for verifying that their
foreign suppliers are using modern, prevention-oriented food safety practices
and achieving the same level of food safety as U.S. growers and processors.
The FDA is also proposing rules to strengthen foreign food safety audits on which
many food companies and importers rely to help manage the safety of food from
throughout the world.
“Eighty percent of our seafood, 60 percent of our produce, almost all of our spices,
and even some pet food ingredients come from other countries,” said Caroline
Smith DeWaal, food safety director, Center for Science in the Public Interest.
The long-delayed announcement that the FDA is moving forward on regulations to
increase the safety of imported foods is good news and, if finalized, will lead
to safer foods, said Smith Dewaal.
The deadline for consumers to comment on the proposed rules is Nov. 26.
The two proposals work together with the rules proposed in January for produce
safety and preventive controls in facilities that produce human food, said Michael
R. Taylor, FDA deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine.
For more information, see:
- Fact Sheet: Foreign Supplier Verification Programs for Importers of Food for
Humans and Animals - Fact Sheet: Proposed Rule on Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors
- Consumer Update
