The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be extending the application period for importers to submit their notice of intent to participate and their completed application for the Fiscal Year 2020 benefits period of the Voluntary Qualified Importer Program (VQIP). The application portal will remain open until July 31, 2019, after which it will close to allow time for the agency to review applications before the start of the annual benefits period that will begin on October 1, 2019.
VQIP is a voluntary fee-based program established by the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) that provides expedited review and importation of human and animal foods into the United States for approved applicants who achieve and maintain a high level of control over the safety and security of their supply chains.
To participate, importers must meet certain eligibility requirements, which include ensuring that the facilities of their foreign supplier are certified by a certification body that has been accredited through the FDA’s Accredited Third-Party Certification Program(TPP).
As of May 1, 2019, four third-party certification bodies have received accreditation. All certification bodies that are accredited under TPP will be listed on the public registry available on FDA.gov. Read More →
