The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing two additional public meetings on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Proposed Rules on Foreign Supplier Verification Programs and the Accreditation of Third-Party Auditors/Certification Bodies. These meetings are the second and third in a series of meetings announced in the August 16, 2013 Federal Register Notice and on FDA’s FSMA website.

The first meeting will be September 19-20, 2013, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC.

Second Meeting  – Miami, FL

October 10, 2013
8:30 am – 5:00 pm

October 11, 2013
8:30 am -12:30 pm

Hyatt Regency Miami 400 SE Second Avenue
Miami, FL 33131

Third Meeting – Long Beach, CA

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 meetings 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 meetings are 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.

Registration and Additional Information