By Ronnie Dunn, EAS Consulting Group Independent Consultant
Importing meat, poultry, and egg products into the U.S. can be a daunting and confusing task. There are numerous regulations and processes that must be followed spanning many U.S. government agencies. Much research needs to be done prior to the start of the process, or you can obtain assistance from a certified consulting service who are knowledgeable in the many steps and processes to accomplish this.
To import product into the U.S. that contain meat, poultry, and egg products, you must meet the requirements of two United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies: FSIS and APHIS.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is responsible for assuring that U.S. imported meat, poultry and egg products are safe, wholesome, unadulterated, and properly labeled and packaged.
The Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) restricts certain animal products from entering the United States because of animal disease conditions in the country of origin.
If you choose to import product regulated by FSIS, you must make sure that the product originates from an FSIS approved source. This can be determined by visiting the FSIS Import & Export Library which lists all eligible countries and facilities in those countries eligible to import into the U.S. If not approved, the product then cannot be imported into the U.S.
FSIS allows for an exemption from inspection for certain foods that contain small amounts of meat, poultry or egg products as an ingredient, provided that the meat, poultry, or egg product component of these products is from an approved or eligible source. These food products are typically regulated by the FDA.
As a member of the Certified Group and Food Safety Net Services, EAS clients have access to world-renowned testing laboratories that meet your organization’s sophisticated needs. In this column, you’ll hear about their capabilities, environmental challenges and more. We hope you’ll enjoy a look “under the microscope.”
Enlisting an import agent is a basic requirement for importers of FDA-regulated products. Import agents are the frontlines of communication with the FDA, assisting with the submission of required registrations and listings as well as support with questions posed by the Agency on imported products.
At a minimum, the import agent must provide basic services stipulated by the FDA, but U.S. agents can also be much more, facilitating registrations in the FURLS database, assisting with FDA inspection preparation, and more.
With all the challenges to importing products into the U.S., and with so many firms positioning themselves as offering U.S. import agent services, choosing one with the right expertise and level of responsiveness will go a long way when working with the FDA.
In an interview with Pharmaceutical Commerce Editor Nicholas Saraceno, EAS Senior Consultant Jeb Hunter discusses his recent breakout session at the2024 HDA - Healthcare Distribution Alliance Traceability Seminar. on “What to Expect When They’re Inspecting: FDA Inspections on DSCSA Compliance."
CHPA’s RSQ brings together leaders from industry, regulatory authorities, and academia across the consumer healthcare landscape to focus on the self-care space. The RSQ agenda offers something for everyone with key regulatory, scientific, and product quality sessions over the course of two days. Hear from FDA, USP, industry, and academia on some of the timeliest topics affecting the consumer healthcare marketplace.
Join EAS Senior Director Lisa El-Shall for a special Breakout Session on Hot Topics in Quality Assurance September 17 at 2:30pm. This session will cover the use of rapid microbiology detection technology in quality assurance and recent changes and new programs at FDA that impact the self-care industry. Visit CHPA to learn more: https://www.chpa.org/events-education/regulatory-scientific-quality-conference
EAS consultant Don Abbott was recently featured on FoodSafetyTech.com: “Ensuring Food Safety from the farm to the table is crucial. How inspections and audits play a key role”
EAS Senior Director Lisa El-Shall will speak on “OTCs: Cosmetic Audits” at the 2024 ASQ Audit Division Conference happening October 9-10, 2024, in Reno, NV, presented by the American Society of Quality. Visit ASQ.org to learn more: https://asq.org/conferences/audit-division
EAS independent consultant John Bailey will speak at the Naturally Kiawah Symposium happening October 8-11, 2024, in Kiawah Island, SC, on regulation updates, MoCRA, product testing, PFAS, and more. Visit https://www.scconline.org/CarolinaSCC/Naturally-Kiawah for more information.
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Ronnie Dunn was selected as the first Director of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) International Liaison Office in Beijing, China from July 2019-2022. In this role, Dunn shared best practices and promote the highest food safety standards and policies with food safety officials throughout China.
Ronnie joined USDA FSIS in 1984. Ronnie served as the Director of Internal Affairs for FSIS, was instrumental in creating the office, which was located organizationally in the Office of the Administrator and conducts investigations and assessments throughout the United States, some of which have led to criminal convictions and resulted in major public health food recalls. Additionally, under Ronnie’s direction, the office also conducted investigations for other USDA agencies.
Prior to being named Director of Internal Affairs, Ronnie was a Supervisory Compliance Investigator, where he led investigators in commerce surveillance reviews to ensure amenable product was wholesome, unadulterated, and properly labeled. He also led criminal, civil and illness outbreak investigation efforts related to violations under FSIS’ regulatory jurisdiction.
Ronnie also worked as a poultry and red meat slaughter inspector. Over 38 plus years, Ronnie has served as a Food Technologist, Processing Inspector, Compliance Investigator, Supervisory Investigator, and a Frontline Supervisor.
From his roles in the field, Ronnie has extensive experience in slaughter and processing inspection of meat and poultry products, as well as import and exports.
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