Definition: “An export certificate is a paper or electronic document
requested by an importing nation which describes and/or attests to animal
health or product safety, production, or processing methods, packaging,
labeling, or specific attributes of a food/food ingredient intended for
international destinations. An export certificate may also attest to the
status of the manufacturing or packaging establishment producing such food
for export.”
An estimated four million food export certificates are issued yearly by
U.S. federal agencies, state-level authorities, and the processed food
industry. Of the 800,000 issued by state and federal agencies, the
U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) issues 88 percent, through efforts by
Agricultural Marketing Service
(AMS),
Animal and Plant Health
Inspection (APHIS),
Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS),
Food Safety and Inspection Service
(FSIS), and
Foreign Agricultural
Service (FAS), according to the
Association of Food and Drug Officials
(AFDO). The
Office of
Scientific and Technical Affairs (OSTA) Export Certification Working Group (ECWG) was established
in 2008 by OSTA/Processed
Products and Technical Regulations Division (PPTRD) to focus
FAS-wide resources on problems associated with the increasing market access
constraints posed by country/regional trends in foreign markets growing
demand for sometimes duplicative, redundant, unavailable, or unnecessary
export certification and burdensome related registration/ conformity
assessment requirements for imports of food and agricultural products. PPTRD
coordinates the activities of the working groups and invites guest
regulatory, technical expert speakers, and FAS overseas offices (Posts) as
partners in the identification, analysis and response to trends in export
certification requirements for TBT and SPS reasons.
ECWG Terms of Reference
Working Group
meeting minutes
Active ECWG
Sub-working Group Activities
FAIRS/GAINS System “Export
Certificate Reporting” This country-level report provides a summary of
new/updated certification requirements and information required to accompany
an imported food or agricultural product into a specific foreign market. If
no changes are made to a FAIRS Export Certificate Report during the annual
review by FAS/Post, the Report Highlights section on the cover page will
read: "No Changes."
Calendar of
upcoming ECWG Meetings and Events
back to
PPTRD
