Equivalence is the determination of whether a foreign regulatory counterpart’s food safety controls achieve at least the same level of public health protection as measures required by U.S. law. This does not mean that a foreign regulatory authority is not required to develop and implement the same exact procedures and food safety controls that FDA requires, rather, it means that a foreign authority must objectively demonstrate how its food safety controls, though different, meet at least the same level of public health protection achieved by U.S. measures.