- On September 27, the FDA released “Activities to Enhance the Safety of Imported Produce,” a report which details how the Agency’s 2019 strategy for safeguarding imported food specifically applies to imported produce. For background on the FDA’s “Strategy for the Safety of Imported Food,” see our February 2019 blog.
- The new report outlines how the agency is working to enhance the safety of fresh fruits and vegetables through four goals that were established in the 2019 strategy document. The report details how the FDA works to achieve each goal.
- Goal 1 – Food Offered for Import Meets U.S. Food Safety Requirements
- Specifically for Goal 1, the FDA relies on international inspections, use of verified foreign suppliers through effective implementation of the FSVP final rule, audits such as those conducted under FDA’s Accredited Third-Party Certification Program or other programs aligned with FDA produce safety requirements, incentivizes importers to use verified suppliers through the Voluntary Qualified Importer Program (VQIP), leverages oversight efforts of regulatory counterparts with strong food safety systems, and increases awareness and training of produce safety requirements.
- Goal 2 – FDA Border Surveillance Prevents Entry of Unsafe Foods
- Some of FDA’s activities for Goal 2 include enhancing and refining FDA’s import screening and entry review process, optimizing use of sampling of imported produce, utilizing import alerts and import certifications, improving testing methods and tools to determine admissibility of produce offered for import, and maximizing the benefit to border surveillance from state and other partnerships.
- Goal 3 – Rapid and Effective Response to Unsafe Imported Food
- For Goal 3, the FDA maximizes effectiveness of FDA’s response to an event involving imported produce, enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of recalls, and uses information sharing-opportunities to prepare for and respond to unsafe imported produce.
- Goal 4 – Effective and Efficient Food Import Program
- For Goal 4, the FDA has developed an improved understanding of the global inventory of produce facilities and farms and conducts performance assessments of the effectiveness of import activities.
- Goal 1 – Food Offered for Import Meets U.S. Food Safety Requirements
- Keller and Heckman will continue to monitor and report on any developments that impact produce safety requirements.