How will the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act make imported food safer?
U.S. consumers enjoy the benefit of imported foods from more than 150 countries. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) gives FDA new tools to ensure that those imported foods meet US standards and are safe for US consumers. New authorities under the Act include:
Importer Accountability - importers must verify that their foreign suppliers have adequate preventive controls in place to ensure safety
Third Party Certification - FDA will be able to accredit qualified third party auditors to certify that foreign food facilities are complying with US food safety standards;
High Risk Foods - FDA now has the authority to require that high-risk imported foods be accompanied by a credible third-party certification as a condition of admission into this country
Refusals - FDA now has the authority to refuse entry into the US of a food that has refused U.S. inspection.
Additional Resources are directed toward foreign inspections
The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), the most sweeping reform of our food safety laws in more than 70 years, was signed into law by President Obama on January 4, 2011. It aims to ensure the U.S. food supply is safe by shifting the focus from responding to contamination to preventing it.