Yesterday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued five guidance documents. The documents were published to help importers and food producers meet the food safety provisions mandated by the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) regulations.

The draft guidance documents cover:

• Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP)
• FSVP compliance guide for small entities
• Guidance on the term “Same Level of Public Health Protection”—used in FSVP and Produce Safety Regulations
• “Chapter 15: Supply-Chain Program for Human Food Products” of the Preventive Controls for Human Food
• FSVP enforcement discretion for grains imported as raw agricultural commodities

The Constituent Update released yesterday, “FDA Issues Guidance Documents to Help Importers and Food Producers Meet FSMA Requirements,” provides a comprehensive review of the guidance documents. Questions regarding FSMA can be directed to Deringer’s Compliance Department.