On July 25, 2014, the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a notice (35-14) to staff on on-going foreign equivalence verification audits. The notice provides the International Audit Staff (IAS), Office of Investigations, Enforcement, and Audit (OIEA), and the International Equivalence Staff (IES), Office of Policy and Program Development (OPPD), with instructions for conducting ongoing equivalence verification audits of the inspection systems of countries that export meat, poultry, or processed egg products to the United States. The notice instructs staff on how to prepare for and conduct on-site audits of an exporting country’s inspection headquarters, regional offices, laboratories, and certified establishments, among other things.
