NEW YORK (June 21, 2016) – The Specialty Food Association (SFA) has been actively engaging with U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the import community by participating on stakeholder panels at public meetings on implementation of import safety programs.
The meetings have been held this month in Costa Mesa, Calif., Rutherford, N.J. and Detroit under the title “Focus on Strategic Implementation of Prevention-Oriented Import Safety Programs.”
SFA has been addressing the complexity of the regulations and their effect on small importers and their foreign suppliers. As Shawn McBride, chair of SFA and vice president of Foah International, stated, “The uncertainty in these regulations and their implementation put small food companies at a disadvantage and—even more importantly—at risk.”
Speaking in Costa Mesa on June 7, McBride spoke about the difficulty for small businesses to understand the regulations. “We need simple, plain English instructions and practical guidance about foreign supplier verification. We want operational instructions, using diagrams, flow charts, graphics and easy-to-understand information that is not a summary of the regulations but a how-to primer,” she said.
At the New Jersey meeting on June 15, Arnim von Friedeburg, SFA board member and owner of CMA Global Partners/German Foods North America, addressed systems recognition and the voluntary qualified importer program (VQIP). He urged FDA to pursue systems recognition with the European Union but expressed doubt that would be accomplished in a timely manner. “It took seven years for us to recognize New Zealand. Will the European Union take 100 years?” he remarked.
Von Friedeburg also pointed out that VQIP, which provides expedited entry for approved importers at a proposed annual fee of $16,400, would favor large companies and discriminate against small businesses.
The third public meeting is scheduled for today, June 21, in Detroit. Trish Pohanka, SFA board member and director of merchandising and marketing for European Imports Ltd., will be speaking about how third party certification can assist with the foreign supplier verification process.
At its Summer Fancy Food Show, the Specialty Food Association is presenting a seminar to teach specialty food industry stakeholders about the implications of the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act. Entitled “Getting Ready for the Food Safety Modernization Act: What Specialty Food Companies Need to Know,” the seminar is scheduled for Saturday, June 25, from 10 am – noon at the Javits Center in New York and is free to all Fancy Food Show badge holders.
About the Specialty Food Association
The Specialty Food Association is a thriving community of food artisans, importers and entrepreneurs. Established in 1952 in New York, the not-for-profit trade association provides its 3,200 members in the U.S. and abroad with resources, knowledge and connections to champion and nurture their companies in an always-evolving marketplace. The Association owns and produces the Winter and Summer Fancy Food Shows, and presents the sofi™ Awards honoring excellence in specialty food. Learn more at specialtyfood.com.
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