Are You Prepared for Foreign Food-Supplier Verification Laws?

Food Safety Modernization Act puts burden of food safety on importers

Published: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - 08:16

Under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), food manufacturers and processors who import food ingredients and raw materials will be required to implement a Foreign Supplier Verification Program, essentially mandating that foreign suppliers undergo the same rigor and scrutiny as domestic ones. This risk-based monitoring and preventive-control program shifts the burden of proof to importers who must then confirm their goods made from or with these imports are in compliance with U.S. laws and regulations.

Such a supply-chain, supplier, and ingredient risk-monitoring program must verify that upstream food safety practices are being adhered to, else criminal prosecution of the importer is a possibility. Verification requirements include monitoring of and detailed record keeping for shipments, lot-based certifications of compliance, presence of a hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) plan, and a minimum two-year record-keeping retention period.

In addition, the FMSA requires that under some circumstances an entity from the country from which a food or ingredient is being imported certify that the shipment is compliant with U.S. laws and regulations.

On Wed., April 6, 2011, TraceGains Inc. will repeat its Foreign Supplier Verification Program webinar, with added coverage on FSMA’s Section 301, and its requirements and impact on business. Joining TraceGains for this webinar will be Jessica Wasserman, president of Wasserman & Associates, a Washington-based consultancy focused on the global food, beverage, and agriculture sector, with a specific expertise in food safety law and regulation.

Content covered during the webinar will include how to:
• Interpret Section 301 of the FMSA (what you need to know)
• Perform risk-based foreign supplier verification activities
• Monitor shipments and lot-by-lot certification of compliance
• Automate review of inspections, hazard analysis, testing, and sampling of shipments
• Automate records storage and maintenance for the mandated two-year minimum

Interested parties can register for the webinar at www3.gotomeeting.com/register/355317766.
For additional information, e-mail can be sent to mms@tracegains.com.

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About The Author

TraceGains

TraceGains Inc. serves the food manufacturing and nutraceuticals industries and large restaurant chains providing a complete compliance and risk management solution—TraceGains—for quality, purchasing, and sourcing managers who are dissatisfied with the high cost and high risk of manual tracking and control of ingredients and suppliers. Unlike ERP, home-grown, or manual systems, TraceGains’ system continuously controls, illuminates, and predicts risk for each ingredient shipment and supplier certification.

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