FDA to Hold Additional CA Public Meeting on Major FSMA Proposed Rules

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing an additional public meeting in California on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Proposed Rules on Foreign Supplier Verification Programs and the Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors/Certification Bodies. The meeting is the third in a series of meetings announced on August 16, 2013.

Meeting details are:

October 22, 2013, 8:30 am -5:00 pm

October 23, 2013, 8:30 am – 12:30 pm

Hilton Long Beach & Executive Meeting Center
701 West Ocean Boulevard Long Beach, CA 90831 

The purpose of the public 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 Program (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 other 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. 


Public Meeting attendees are encouraged to register on-line or contact: Lauren Montgomery, Teya Technologies, LLC, 101 East 9th Avenue, Suite 9B, Anchorage, Alaska 99501; telephone: 443-833-4297; FAX: 907-562-5497; e-mail: lauren.montgomery@teyatech.com.


For general questions about the meetings, to request an opportunity to make an oral presentation or to request special accommodations due to a disability, contact: Juanita Yates, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, 5100 Paint Branch Pkwy, College Park, MD 20740; telephone: 240-402-1731; e-mail: Juanita.Yates@fda.hhs.gov.

·       Register Online

·       NOTE: A small block of rooms has been reserved at the Hilton Long Beach & Executive Meeting Center. Additional information is provided on the meeting registration site.

Please note the following important dates:

·       Meeting in Long Beach, CA

o   October 1, 2013: Closing date for request to make oral comment

o   October 1, 2013: Closing date to request special accommodation due to a disability

o   October 8, 2013: Closing date for advance registration

·       November 26, 2013: Closing date to submit either electronic or written comments to FDA’s Division of Dockets Management; for the proposed rule on Foreign Supplier Verification Programs, see Docket No. FDA-2011-N -0143. For the proposed rule on Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors/Certification Bodies, see Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0146.