May 19, 2004

Status of Implementing Phase 3 Enforcement of Prior Notice

Due to a delay in implementation of software changes to Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) Automated Broker Interface (ABI) of the Automated Commercial System (ACS), CBP and FDA will implement Phase 3 of Enforcement of 21 CFR 1.283(a) and 1.285(a), (b) in June 2004.

On May 18, 2004, in an Administrative Message entitled "DELAY IMPLEMENTATION STAGE 3 BIOTERRORISM ACT ENFORCMNT", CBP notified ABI filers that it was delaying the installation of programming changes for enforcement of the prior notice bioterrorism. These changes would have made failure to submit all mandatory prior notice (PN) data elements cause for rejection by ABI.

This delay does not imply an automatic delay of the final stage of enforcement of prior notice requirements on August 12, 2004. Submitters and transmitters of prior notice should also realize that prior notice submission periods before the shipment arrival should take into account any possible time needed to deal with corrections required by either ABI or by FDA. Simply submitting prior notice within the minimum 2, 4, or 8 hour window may not allow time to review, correct, and submit corrected prior notice sufficiently in advance of arrival to avoid refusal from FDA.

FDA will soon publish a revised Compliance Policy Guide (Prior Notice of Imported Food Under the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002) implementing this date change for enforcement.

JIFSAN Launches Integrated Program in Food Safety Risk Analysis this Summer

The Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN) is launching a Summer Integrated Program in Food Safety Risk Analysis on the University of Maryland College Park campus. The Summer Integrated Program offers participants the opportunity to take from one to seven courses in a single trip. People can enroll in individual courses or in course clusters at a significant discount. Whether people join the program as a cluster resident or just for specific classes, they will meet and interact with food safety professionals from around the world. For more information please visit http://www.jifsan.umd.edu/sip2004/sipgovaca.cfm.

For questions contact: Judy Quigley, JIFSAN Conference and Communications Coordinator, , 301-405-1696.