IICA and FDA to teach exporters in Latin America and the Caribbean the ins and outs of the new U.S. food safety law

Miami, April 18, 2011 (IICA). The experience of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) in the fields of Agricultural Health and Food Safety, as well as Agribusiness and Commercialization, has caught the attention of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The FDA is responsible for making sure exporters in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) understand the new requirements they will have to meet if they wish to market agricultural products the United States once implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) begins.

The FDA invited two IICA staff members to make a presentation on the experience the Institute has gained over the years, through its Agricultural Health and Food Safety and Agribusiness and Commercialization Programs, in the fields of institution and capacity building.

On March 30 and 31, IICA Food Safety Specialist Marco Sanchez-Plata , based in Miami, and the Technology Innovation Specialist from the IICA Office in Washington, Priscila Henriquez, attended public hearings organized by the FDA and spoke on the initiatives that the Institute is undertaking in its Member States and that would be affected by the new law.

In the judgment of both, the new legislation will have repercussions in the agricultural exports sector of LAC, with both exporters and foreign trade officials having to comply with new requirements to enter the U.S. market.

The FSMA was signed by President Barack Obama on January 4 of this year, but has yet to be fully implemented.

In the meantime, IICA and the FDA are exploring possible areas for cooperation, signing to this end a memorandum of understanding calling for activities that will facilitate the understanding of the FSMA by the agricultural exporters of the hemisphere, as well as other mutual assistance projects.

Comparing food safety systems

According to the FDA, the new law emphasizes the principle of prevention, demanding that food producers and importers have on-site control systems in place, and instructs the FDA to keep them informed of their new responsibilities.

With this in mind, the FDA has organized a series of public hearings with institutions such as IICA to define a strategy for supporting institution and capacity building initiatives which will facilitate the implementation of the FSMA in the United States’ trading partners and its proper application by FDA officials.

One aspect emphasized at the hearings held on March 30 and 31 was the comparability of national food safety systems. Marco Sanchez-Plata explained the Performance, Vision and Strategy Tool for National Food Safety Systems, prepared by IICA, and the Executive Leadership in Food Safety Program carried out in several Member States of the Institute.

He also described the results of the Export Platforms series and other activities related to compliance with export requirements that the Agribusiness and Commercialization Program has implemented in several countries of Latin America and the Caribbean in cooperation with public and private institutions.

Also in attendance were representatives of the food industry and consumer groups from the United States, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Bank and the European Union.

The hearings will continue through June of this year, when the FDA will decide how to proceed in the implementation of the training activities on the FSMA and its application.

For further information:
marcos.sanchez@iica.int 
ricardo.molins@iica.int 
miguel.garcia@iica.int 
phenriquez@iicawash.org