U.S.-Based Food Safety Training for Foreign Food Manufacturers

(FoodNavigator.com – Caroline Scott-Thomas)

The University of Maryland and Waters Corporation have partnered to open a facility in Maryland to train foreign food manufacturers and scientists in methods of analysis to help them meet US food safety standards.

The International Food Safety Training Laboratory (IFSTL) will be run by the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN), a new collaboration between the University of Maryland and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The IFSTL is expected to open next year.

Imports account for about 15% of the total US food supply, including 60% of fresh fruit and vegetables and 80% of seafood. According to the Government Accountability Office, there are about 189,000 registered foreign sites where food is made for sale in the United States, but the FDA only inspects a tiny fraction of them – just 153 in 2008. Read more here.