In November 2015, the FDA announced the implementing final rule “Accreditation of Third-Party Certification Bodies to Conduct Food Safety Audits and to Issue Certifications” that establishes a program for the accreditation of third-party certification bodies to conduct food safety audits and to certify that foreign food facilities and food produced by such facilities meet applicable FDA food safety requirements.  Click here for our summary of the final third-party certification rule.

On December 7, 2016, FDA issued final guidance for industry containing recommendations on third-party certification body qualifications for accreditation to conduct food safety audits and to issue food and/or facility certifications under the voluntary third-party certification program established under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The Agency previously issued a draft version of this guidance in July 2015.