The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and its related regulations and compliance date are rapidly approaching. The new rules and regulations apply to all importers, growers and packers of food for human and animal consumption and the first program (Foreign Supplier Verification Program) becomes effective May 30. This is an overview of the new regulations:
- Accredited Third-Party Certification Final Rule
- Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) for Importers of Food for Humans and Animals Final Rule
- Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration Final Rule
- Preventive Controls for Food for Animals Final Rule
- Preventive Controls for Human Food Final Rule
- Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food Final Rule
- Standards for Produce Safety Final Rule
Shippers and importers are overwhelmed with questions regarding these complex regulations. To shed some light on this complicated subject, Pat Compres and Maria Bermudez, owners of Advance Customs Brokers, organized a half-day seminar for their clients at the Miami Airport Convention Center. The seminar was moderated by Domenic Veneziano, a 24-year veteran with the FDA. The subjects discussed at length included: the 7 final rules that are currently in place; what an FSVP and a Food Safety System under the Preventive control (PC) provision will look like after the new rules are implemented; FSMA compliance; and, most importantly, their impact to importers, shippers, vendors and brokers. There were over seventy attendees representing forty different shippers and importers.
The seminar offered a different perspective, from the viewpoint of the FDA veteran who co-authored many of these initiatives. The shippers and importers received insights on exactly what FDA officers will be expecting during audits and how violations will be addressed. The participants asked questions across all aspects of the new rules and ways to prepare and ensure compliance and minimize risk and liability for their companies.
“The consensus from our customers is that after the seminar they are now more aware of the extreme responsibility that these new rules places on them, and they were thankful that they were able to see the rules from an FDA perspective," said Pat Compres.
More information on the FDA's staggered dates of compliance can be found in this document: https://www.fda.gov/food/guidanceregulation/fsma/ucm503822.htm
Contact:
Patricia Compres
President - CEO
Advance Customs Brokers & Consulting LLC
1400 N.W. 79th Ave.
Miami, Florida 33126
Tel: (786) 476-0700