FDA adds QR code to certain export certificates for food

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced improvements to the functionality and appearance of two types of export certificates issued for human food products exported from the United States. Beginning June 29, 2020, the “Certificate to a Foreign Government” and “Certificate of Exportability” for human food products will include a unique QR code to allow easier verification of the authenticity of these certificates.

This added security measure means that anyone who receives a certificate from a U.S. exporter can scan the QR code and see a copy of the certificate as issued by the FDA. The use of QR codes will expedite verification of FDA-issued export certificates compared with the current system, which requires a stakeholder to create an account, contact the FDA to activate the account, and log in to verify the authenticity of certificates.

The FDA is also updating the format of these certificates to streamline the display of certificate data. The agency will begin issuing the updated certificates on June 29, 2020. The FDA requests that importing countries continue to honor and accept any certificates issued with the previous format, through their expiration dates.