Exporting foodstuffs for the agri-food industry to the United States
Exporting foodstuffs for the agri-food industry to the United States
If you want to export food products, such as nuts, to the United States, you need to think ahead. The American dream exists, but if you don’t take the necessary precautions, it can quickly become a nightmare.
The all-powerful FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has recently tightened the safety requirements for foodstuffs imported into the United States.
Why is this?
The aim of the Food Safety and Modernization Act programme is to combat the deaths of nearly 3,000 US citizens, 128,000 hospital admissions and the poisoning of nearly 48 million Americans caused by contaminated food.
What are the rules?
The Code of Federal Regulations is based on seven main rules. One of them specifies that imported raw products must not be contaminated or must be pasteurised beforehand.
Faced with such high levels of contamination, the FDA is much more attentive to the risks of infestation and microbiological load of imported foodstuffs.
As a result, it is up to the foreign supplier to ensure that its product is healthy and safe. They must be able to prove the absence of contamination.
What are the risks of exporting to the United States?
The absence of proof is suspicious and prompts the FDA to carry out more surveillance and analyses when importing. The presence of pathogenic germs or infestation may lead to rejection of the import and increased monitoring of the importer for future imports.
What are the risks of not treating your product before exporting? :
- Immobilisation of the entire shipment,
- Increased transport/storage costs,
- Loss of damaged product,
- Finding yourself under closer surveillance by the American authorities.
The right reflex?
Finally, the USA’s reinforcement of the safety of imported foodstuffs is being followed by a large number of countries. It is up to each exporter to anticipate and take the necessary measures. There are many different treatment technologies. The one developed by Steripure is specially adapted to products with a low moisture content.
