Which of the following is exempt from the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) rule?

• A. Food transshiped through US
• B. Firms subject to juice or seafood HACCP regulations
• C. Food for personal consumption
• D. Meat, poultry, and egg products that are already subject to USDA regulation at time of importation

Answer: (C)

The concept being tested is FSVP exemptions. The Foreign Supplier Verification Program applies to FDA-regulated foods imported for sale, but there is an important exemption for items brought into the U.S. strictly for personal use. When food is imported for personal consumption, there isn’t a commercial importer responsible for verifying the safety of a foreign supplier, so the FSVP requirements do not apply.

In this context, food for personal consumption is exempt because it isn’t entering the U.S. market for resale or distribution, which is the scenario FSVP is designed to address. The other scenarios involve products that are typically regulated under different rules (such as USDA oversight for meat, poultry, and eggs, or foods under HACCP programs), and they do not represent the personal-use exemption.