FDA releases International Food Safety Capacity-Building Plan

The Food Safety Modernization Act directs the U.S. Food and Drug Administration “to develop a comprehensive plan to increase the technical, scientific, and regulatory food safety capacity of foreign governments and their respective food industries, from which foods are exported to the U.S.” This emphasis on enhancing the safety of food products imported into the U.S. is a reflection of the global marketplace for food, particularly fresh fruits and vegetables. Approximately 20 percent of fresh vegetables, 50 percent of fresh fruit, and 80 percent of seafood that are consumed in the US are imported.
The Food Safety Modernization Act calls for numerous enhanced international collaborations as well as the development of the International Food Safety Capacity-Building Plan. According to an FDA statement, the recently released plan sets forth a strategic framework for how the FDA will develop international food safety capacity. The agency reports that it may develop a more specific, detailed operational document for implementing its capacity-building strategies at a later date.