This is to remind our Philippine exporters of the following regulatory compliance deadlines affecting food and beverage exports to the United States:

1. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2011, requires that food facilities renew their registrations with FDA during “the period beginning on 01 October and ending on 31 December of each even-numbered year. Following this requirement, therefore, renewals should be done this year within the period 01 October – 31 Dec 2018. Shipments from the Philippines may be refused entry to the United States when the associated food facility registration is not renewed properly.  The related USFDA information could be accessed via the following link: HERE
   For first time food exporters to the US, the relevant guidance on food facility registration is: HERE
2. The USFDA finalized new rules that mandate significant changes to the Nutrition Facts labels for food, beverages and dietary supplements will take effect 01 Jan 2020. Labeling errors are a leading cause of FDA detentions. PH food exporters should begin reviewing their labels now to assure compliance with the new FDA requirements. The relevant information is contained in the following link to US FDA’s site: HERE
3. In addition to these upcoming deadlines, facilities should be aware that the compliance deadlines have passed for the FSMA Preventive Controls Rule for both small and large facilities. This rule requires facilities to implement written Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls (HARPC) Food Safety Plans. Plans such as HACCP, BRC, ISO and SQF do not satisfy this new requirement. Facilities that have not yet developed their plan should do so immediately. USFDA may request a facility’s Food Safety Plan as part of a routine inspection. Additionally, the US importer will likely request a copy of the facility’s plan to fulfill the importer’s requirements under FDA’s Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) rule.  The link to USFDA’s FSMA Preventive Controls Rule is as follows: HERE

For your information and guidance.