### Question
What does third-party auditor mean?


### Answer
**Third-party auditor** has the following meaning in *21 U.S.C. § 384d*:

> a foreign government, agency of a foreign government, foreign cooperative, or any other third party, as the Secretary determines appropriate in accordance with the model standards described in subsection (b)(2), that is eligible to be considered for accreditation to conduct food safety audits to certify that eligible entities meet the applicable requirements of this section

#### Citation:
  - *21 U.S.C. § 384d*
  - Heading: **CHAPTER 9-FEDERAL FOOD, DRUG, AND COSMETIC ACT > SUBCHAPTER VIII-IMPORTS AND EXPORTS**

