The US Food and Drug Administration announced the recognition of American National Standards Institute (ANSI) of Washington DC as the second accreditation body to be recognized under the Accredited Third-Party Certification Program for a period of five years. The program is part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).
This organization is being recognized because it meets applicable FDA requirements, validated through application review and on-site assessment.
Accreditation bodies recognized by FDA will have the authority to accredit third-party certification bodies, also known as third-party auditors. These certification bodies, once accredited, can conduct food safety audits and issue certifications of foreign food facilities (including farms) and the foods—both human and animal—that they produce. Those certifications can be used by importers to establish eligibility for participation in the Voluntary Qualified Importer Program (VQIP), and in certain circumstances FDA can require that imported products be certified before entering the United States.
ANSI is being recognized as having the authority to accredit certification bodies with the ability to conduct food safety audits as they pertain to these regulations: Current Good Manufacturing Practice; Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food (Preventive Controls for Human Food rule); Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption (Produce Safety Rule); Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems (Juice HACCP); and Fish and Fishery Products (Seafood HACCP).
More information is available at www.FDA.gov.