Importing food products into the United States: FDA Inspection for FSVP and FSMA

We are sharing the text of an email received from one of our clients, announcing a FDA inspection at the offices of the American importer to verify compliance with FDA regulations on importing food products into America. As we mentioned last year, the FDA is starting to conduct inspections not only at the producers but also at the American importers.

As indicated in the email, the FDA requests to receive the FSVP compliance data within 24 hours. This means that once the inspection is announced, there is no longer time to become compliant. It is necessary to prepare well in advance, both for FSVP compliance and FSMA. In fact, the American importer cannot be compliant with FSVP if the Italian producer of food specialties is not already compliant with the requirements for FSMA

Dear Sir/Madam,

We are contacting you regarding the application of FDA regulations concerning Foreign Supplier Verification Programs for Food Importers (FSVP). Since you have been identified as an FSVP importer during importation into the United States, we wish to obtain some information regarding FSVP compliance data from the FDA. To this end, it is crucial to respond to this message by providing the following information:

• Are the FSVP compliance data stored at your company?
• If the FSVP compliance data are located elsewhere, can you retrieve them within 24 hours of this request?
• Are the FSVP data maintained in the English language?
• If the FSVP data are written in a language other than English, when will you be able to provide an English translation?
• What is your current office address?
• What phone number can we use to contact you?

Additionally, in your response, please specify if you fall into one of the following categories:

• Producer of human or animal food specialties
• Reprocessor of human or animal food
• Grower or producer of agricultural products
• Importer of agricultural products

FSVP Exemption - If you believe you do not fall under the classification of "FSVP importer," please respond to this email explaining why you do not fit the definition of an FSVP importer. Additionally, we ask you to provide your phone number in the response. We look forward to your kind responses and remain available for any clarification.

Sincerely,
Following name and title of the FDA official in charge of FSVP inspections