The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) established the Accredited Third-Party Certification Program, which is a voluntary program that allows “accreditation bodies” to apply for recognition by FDA. Recognized accreditation bodies have the authority to accredit third-party “certification bodies,” otherwise known as third-party auditors. In turn, the certification bodies (1) conduct consultative and/or regulatory food safety audits and (2) issue certifications to eligible entities that produce food for humans and animals.

As previously mentioned on this blog, FDA has recognized four accreditation bodies, ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB), the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards (ACFS), and the International Accreditation Services, Inc. (IAS) to assess and accredit certification bodies.

Today, FDA notified stakeholders of the recently expanded scope of ANAB’s recognition under the voluntary Accredited Third Party Certification Program. Effective August 23, 2018, ANAB is recognized for the following additional scopes:

• Acidified Foods (AF),
• Thermally Processed Low-Acid Foods Packaged in Hermetically Sealed Containers (LACF),
• Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) for Juice (Juice HACCP), and
• Fish and Fishery Products (Seafood HACCP).

ANAB’s initial recognition included the following scopes:

• Preventive Controls for Human Food rule (PCHF),
• Preventive Controls for Animal Food rule (PCAF), and

Produce Safety Rule (PSR).

Prior to this expansion, IAS was the only recognized accreditation body whose scope of authority included FDA regulations on LACF and AF. The expansion of ANAB’s recognition means there are more opportunities for certification bodies to become accredited under the program.