FSPCA FOREIGN SUPPLIER VERIFICATION PROGRAM (FSVP) TRAINING FOR IMPORTERS OF FOODS FOR HUMAN AND ANIMALS

3 Day – Live Virtual Course

Are you importing food from outside the U.S.? Do you know if your imports meet your food safety standards? FDA wants to know! Provide the necessary training for your Food Safety staff to assure safe food while complying with FSMA requirements.

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) mandates the creation of food safety systems that focus on preventing contamination rather than reacting to problems after they occur. A large part of FSMA legislation focuses on imported food safety.
The Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) rule applies to food processors that import food from outside the United States and imposes requirements on importers, not foreign suppliers, to verify that the food they import meets U.S. safety standards.

FSVP Importers are required to develop, maintain, and follow an FSVP for each food imported, unless an exemption applies. Lack of compliance with FSVP continues to be the number one event recorded on FDA Form 483s, Notice of Inspectional Observations. Form 483 is FDA’s first step in determining what further actions may be imposed to protect public health.

To comply with the FSVP rule, importers must use a qualified individual to develop and perform FSVP activities. These activities include determining known or reasonably foreseeable hazards associated with each type of food, evaluating risks posed by the supplier’s performance, approving suppliers, conducting appropriate supplier verification activities, and verifying corrective actions that provide assurance the food’s hazards have been significantly minimized or prevented. Detailed records documenting these activities are also required.