Kemin Has Taken All Necessary Steps to Comply with the Bioterrorism Act.

December 10, 2003

The Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 (the Bioterrorism Act) directs the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services to take steps to protect the public from a threatened or actual terrorist attack on the United States food supply BioTerrorism Act.

In carrying out the provisions of the Bioterrorism Act, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published interim final regulations that require domestic and international facilities that manufacture, label, transport, process, pack, or hold food (product, returned goods, ingredients, as well as quality assurance/quality control/research samples) for human or animal consumption in the United States to register with the FDA by December 12, 2003 (FDA Final Regulations).

The interim final regulations also require that the FDA receive prior notice of food shipments for human or animals imported into the United States (FDA Notice).  Prior notice is required for food for use, storage, or distribution in the United States, and includes gifts, trade samples, research and quality assurance/quality control samples, ingredients, returned goods, food for trans-shipment through the United States to another country, food for future export, and food for use in a U.S. Foreign Trade Zone.  The FDA will use this information in advance of the arrival to determine whether the imported food needs to be inspected. 

Registration of food facilities and prior notice of imported food shipments will enable the FDA to act quickly in the event of an outbreak of food-borne illness or threatened or actual terrorist attack on the United States food supply. 

Kemin Industries, Inc. is well aware of and fully supports FDA’s decision to enhance the security of our food supply. We will take all necessary steps to protect the integrity and uncompromising quality of our products and services.  Our customers, suppliers, and vendors have been contacted to make sure they are aware of and will be compliant with these new regulations. We have also registered our facilities with the FDA. However, according to FDA’s recommendation, we are not providing our registration number(s) due to security and liability issues.

If you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. 

Sincerely,
Libby Nelson
Kemin Industries, Inc.
Corporate Counsel