CFSAN Constituent Update - FDA's Voluntary Qualified Importer Program: Guidance for Industry

Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition

Constituent Update

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FDA Releases Final Guidance for Voluntary Qualified Importer Program

November 10, 2016

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is announcing final guidance for industry for a voluntary, fee-based program to allow the expedited review and importation of foods into the United States from importers with a proven track record of food safety and security. The final guidance is in question-and-answer format to explain how this program will work.

The Voluntary Qualified Importer Program (VQIP) will benefit both industry and consumers. Expedited entry provides importers an incentive to adopt a robust system of supply chain management and will allow FDA to focus its resources on examining and sampling food imports that are more likely to present a potential risk to public health.

Additional Information

• Final Guidance for Industry: FDA’s Voluntary Qualified Importer Program
• Final Guidance Fact Sheet
• Instructions for Submitting the VQIP Application
• Webinar on the Final Guidance for the Voluntary Qualified Importer Program
• Federal Register Notice 

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Additional Updates from the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition