Washington, D.C. - In a letter to the Director of the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Enforcement and Import Operations dated April 10, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, Inc. (NCBFAA) expressed its concern about the Trade's readiness to meet the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) requirements. "With less than a month to go, our concern has only deepened as members report widespread misunderstanding and confusion about the FSVP requirements among their importing clients and others in the supply chain," wrote NCBFAA President Geoffrey Powell. While the FDA was clear in its regulation that the FSVP importer should be a U.S. party with knowledge and control over the supply chain, identifying the party, with regards to food shipments and their more complex supply chain, has not been a straightforward process.  "The FSVP importer is not just a name, address and DUNS number entered into a data field," said Powell. "It must be a knowledgeable and consenting party who understands the food safety evaluation and verification activities that the party is charged with performing. This information has not yet been understood to be an integral part of supply chain data to be made available at entry. We are confident that the information infrastructure will develop in time, but it is not there yet." The NCBFAA has been conducting intense outreach to its members so they may push their importer clients to develop this information for food shipments. They have also teamed up with the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) to hold a webinar for its members on May 12.