On December 14, 2016 the US Food and Drug Administration published the final rule amending its regulations on accreditation of third-party certification bodies to conduct food safety audits and to issue certifications to provide for a reimbursement (user fee) program to assess fees for the work FDA performs to establish and administer the third-party certification program under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act.The rule is effective since January 13, 2017.Federal Register Vol. 81, No. 240. Wednesday, December 14, 2016. Pages 90186-90194.