The US exports $6bn worth of milk and milk products annually. In their respective roles of food safety, marketing and trade facilitation, FDA and USDA have programs to support the export of these products from the US. This MOU outlines a framework to leverage the collective strengths of FDA and USDA.

The FDA is responsible for ensuring milk and milk products are safe as labelled, through enforcement of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C).

This is accomplished, in part, by inspecting the production, processing, and distribution of foods and examining samples to ensure compliance with the FDA’s statutory requirements.

In addition, the FDA engages with international regulators and stakeholders regarding the safety of US milk and milk products.

The FDA will continue in its role as competent authority, engaging directly with foreign authorities as needed on food safety matters, and providing oversight to more than 6,000 firms that produce dairy products.

The USDA, through its dairy grading service, is the lead agency on issuing dairy sanitary certificates, coordinating interagency collaboration related to US exports of milk and milk products, and negotiating with foreign countries on certifications to meet their importing requirements.

Through this MOU, the FDA and USDA said they remain committed to facilitating the efficient exporting of milk and milk products.