The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") has issued notices to all foreign food facilities registered with the FDA advising that it plans to conduct an inspection of those facilities between 1 October 2010 and 30 September 2010.
Does this affect you?
The FDA inspection scheme affects facilities that manufacture, process, pack, hold or ship food to the United States.
The FDA has issued notices only to foreign food facilities that are registered with the FDA. Under the Bioterrorism Prepardness and Response Act (2002), any foreign food facility that manufactures, processes, packs, holds or ships food to the United States is required to be registered with the FDA. If your facility engages in any of these activities and you are not yet registered, you are advised to visit www.fda.gov to register or contact us for further advice or assistance.
The inspection scheme
The FDA has reported that the inspections are designed to:
Foreign food facilities that do not comply with an inspection notice risk having their products refused for admission into the United States and may have their registrations terminated.
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