U.S. seafood importers are bracing for a new fee that, when it goes into effect on 1 October, will significantly increase the cost of examining product suspected of a food-safety violation.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is currently accepting public comment on an 1 August Federal Register notice announcing fiscal 2012 fee rates as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act, which was signed into law by President Obama on 4 January.
Beginning on 1 October, the FDA will begin charging food importers a fee, based on an hourly rate, for any “re-examination” of product, which is required when the FDA discovers a food-safety violation during an inspection. The fee is USD 225 per hour, USD 335 per hour if foreign travel is required.
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