The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA): Proposed Rules on Foreign Supplier Verification Programs and the Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors/Certification Bodies Public Meeting. The meeting will be held on September 19, 2013, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and September 20, 2013, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street, NW (at Connecticut Avenue), Washington, D.C. This is the first in a series of three public meetings FDA plans to hold on these FSMA proposed rules. Information on the additional two meetings, including dates, locations, and registration information will be released shortly. The agenda format for all three meetings will be the same.

The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the two proposed rules aimed at strengthening assurances that imported food meets the same safety standards as food produced domestically. The Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) proposal would establish requirements for importers to verify that their foreign suppliers are implementing the modern, prevention-oriented food safety practices called for by FSMA. The second proposed rule on the Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors/Certification Bodies would strengthen the quality, objectivity, and transparency of foreign food safety audits on which many U.S. food companies and importers currently rely to help manage the safety of their global food supply chains. The meeting is also designed to solicit oral stakeholder and public comments on the proposed rules, inform the public about the rulemaking process (including how to submit comments, data and other information to the rulemaking dockets), and respond to questions about the proposed rules.