Importers covered by (FSVP) must have a program in place to verify that their foreign suppliers are producing food in a manner that provides the same level of public health protection as the preventive controls requirements for human and animal food under section 418 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) and the produce safety requirements under section 419 of the FD&C Act , if applicable, and the implementing regulations, and to ensure that the food is not adulterated and is not misbranded with respect to allergen labeling. Standard FSVP requirements include determining known or reasonably foreseeable hazards with each food; evaluating the risk posed by a food, based on the hazard analysis, and the foreign supplier’s performance; using that evaluation of the risk posed by an imported food and the supplier’s performance to approve suppliers and determine appropriate supplier verification activities; conducting supplier verification activities; and conducting corrective actions, as appropriate. Modified requirements may apply in some circumstances (see 21 CFR 1.500-1.514).
Verification activities under FSVPs may include reviewing food safety records, onsite inspections, and testing and sampling shipments of imported products, among other appropriate supplier verification activities (see 21 CFR 1.506(d)(1)(ii)).
