SGS has achieved accreditation by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to certify foreign food suppliers under the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s Accredited Third-Party Certification Program of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
"We are delighted to broaden our offer with this accreditation which, for the first time, gives suppliers from across the globe the opportunity to demonstrate their compliance with the US food safety regulations," said Hank Karayan, SGS FSMA Program Director. "It marks a huge milestone for both foreign suppliers and their US clients. It allows importers to apply for expedited entry of food under the Voluntary Qualified Importer Program, while opening up new opportunities for foreign suppliers looking to expand their export activities to the US."
The US FDA FSMA is the most sweeping reform of US food safety laws in over 70 years. It applies to facilities that manufacture, process, pack or hold food for humans or animal food. Produce farms, US importers, shippers, receivers, loaders and carriers who transport food in the United States are also subject to FSMA.
FSMA equips the FDA to recognize accreditation bodies like ANSI to assess the competence of food safety certification bodies. SGS was assessed by ANSI in accordance with the international standard ISO/IEC 17065, Conformity assessment – Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes, and services; and the pertinent regulatory and certification scheme requirements.
SGS offers audit, testing, supplier verification, training, and technical services to help organizations comply with FSMA. For the complete range of SGS FSMA solutions visit SGS FSMA Solutions.
