What is a FSVP?
Penn State Extension is helping produce growers, food processors, and feed manufacturers prepare for new regulatory standards required under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) of 2011.
What is a FSVP?
A Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) is a program that importers covered by the rule must have in place to verify that their foreign suppliers are producing food in a manner that provides the same level of public health protection as the preventive controls or produce safety regulations, as appropriate, and to ensure that the supplier's food is not adulterated and is not misbranded with respect to allergen labeling.
An importer must establish a FSVP for each food that is imported from each of its foreign suppliers. The importer may request information from their foreign suppliers or others to meet the FSVP requirements.
If you are the FSVP importer subject to the rule requirements, all of the following activities and records make up a FSVP:
- A hazard analysis of the food; this must be done including hazard identification and evaluation.
- The performance of each foreign supplier must also be evaluated.
- There must be written procedures for approving foreign suppliers based on their evaluations.
- Written procedures to assure use of only approved foreign suppliers (although there are limited exceptions).
- Determine and perform appropriate verification activities and assess results of these activities.
- If needed, implementation of corrective actions.
- Identify the FSVP importer at entry.
- Keep required records and documentation.
- Re-evaluations of your FSVP, either for cause or routinely, every 3 years.
The following activities and records make up a FSVP:
- Hazard Analysis of the Food
- Appropriate Verification Activities
- Evaluation of Foreign Suppliers
- Corrective Actions
- Written Procedures for Approving Foreign Suppliers
- FSVP Importer Identification
- Written Procedures to Assure Use of Only Approved Foreign Suppliers
- Records and Documentation
- FSVP Reevaluation
Your Food Safety Verification Programs include all records and documentation that demonstrate your compliance with applicable FSVP requirements for a particular imported food product and foreign supplier.
A qualified individual must develop and implement the FSVP and perform each of the activities required under the regulation.
Financial conflicts of interest that influence the results of the verification activities and payment must not be related to the results of the activity.
For more information, please visit the Penn State Extension FSMA section.
This program was developed by Food Safety CTS, LLC, for the USDA Food Safety and Agricultural Sustainability Training program and Penn State Extension.
