On July 29, 2013, the U.S. FDA published in the Federal Register a Proposed Rule to adopt regulations on food supplier verification programs (FSVPs) for food importers. The proposed regulations would require that imported food be produced in such a manner as to provide the same level of public health protection as required under the U.S.’s Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). Included in the proposal is a requirement that importers conduct a hazard analysis identifying naturally-occurring or unintentionally introduced pesticide residues and food additives that may be found in their products. Intentionally-introduced hazards will be addressed in a separate regulation.
The final date for comments is November 26, 2013.
The United States’ pesticide MRLs can be found in www.MRLDatabase.com; the U.S. is not currently included in the International Food Additive Database.
