The first compliance date for the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) Final Rule was May 30. Published in November 2015, the FSVP Rule requires importers to verify the food they import into the U.S. meets the same public health standard as food produced domestically, is not adulterated and is not misbranded with respect to allergen labeling. Compliance dates are staggered starting May 30 through July 2020.
While meat, poultry and egg products are exempt from the FSVP rule if they are amenable to inspection by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), many in the meat and poultry industry are just learning the FSVP rule may be applicable to the importation of live animals for human consumption. Specifically, the FSVP Rule defines “food” as “the meaning given in section 201(f) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act,” which includes live animals intended for human consumption. As noted in the preamble to the FSVP Rule “[l]ive animals raised for food, even though not in their final, edible form, are considered to be food under the FD&C Act…” (Federal Register. 80(228): 74526 -7).