The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it will raise re-inspection fees for domestic and foreign food facilities during the Fiscal Year (FY) of 2021. The fee for re-inspection of a foreign facility in FY 2021 will be $310/hr, an increase from $301/hr in FY 2020. The fee for re-inspection of a domestic facility in FY 2021 will be $263/hr, an increase from $258/hr in FY 2020. The new fees will be effective October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021.
FDA does not impose fees for routine inspections, however if an inspection reveals significant violations to food safety, FDA may conduct a re-inspection, in which case the fees may be assessed. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) authorizes FDA to assess and collect hourly fees for re-inspections of non-compliant facilities to cover the cost of salary, travel, and anything else related to conducting the re-inspection. These fees are assessed for any time spent on “whatever components of such an inspection are deemed necessary” and the final cost can escalate to thousands of dollars.
Common Food Safety Violations
To help avoid a costly re-inspection, it is prudent to be aware of common food safety violations.
Some of the most common food safety violations that may prompt re-inspection are not properly dealing with pests, not maintaining sanitation protocol, not correctly implementing a HACCP plan, and personnel issues. FDA also commonly cites facilities for issues with their Food Safety Plans.
With the increase in re-inspection fees, it is critical to be compliant with FDA food safety requirements and be prepared for an inspection when the time comes. In addition to the risk of re-inspection, FDA may also issue warning letters or suspend a facility’s registration for infractions found during an inspection, causing further delays and costs.
Registrar Corp is a private company that assists businesses in complying with FDA regulations. We can help your facility prepare for an FDA inspection with our Mock Inspection service as well as assist your facility in developing a HARPC food safety plan or a HACCP food safety plan to avoid citations. For more information, contact us at +1-757-224-0177 or chat with a Regulatory Advisor 24-hours a day at regstaging.wpengine.com/livechat.
