Food facilities required to register with the Food and Drug Administration must renew their registrations between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31. Food being imported or offered for import into the U.S. from a foreign facility for which registration has not been submitted or renewed must be held at the port of entry for and may not be delivered to the importer, owner, or consignee until the foreign facility is registered. Failure to register or renew a registration can also expose facilities to civil or criminal action.
Under section 102 of the Food Safety Modernization Act, all domestic and foreign facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or store food, food ingredients, pet foods, or dietary supplements are required to renew their registration with the FDA every even-numbered year. When registering, foreign food facilities must also designate a U.S. agent, a person or entity that is located within, or maintains an office in, the United States and acts as the domestic representative for the foreign facility through which all communication with the FDA takes place.
Facilities can register online, via mail, or by fax (though FDA encourages online registration) or may authorize third parties to register for them.
Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg’s FDA Practice Group offers food facility registration services, including identifying a company’s registration obligations and potential exemptions and registering foreign or domestic companies, as well as service as a U.S. agent for foreign facilities. To learn more and ensure your company is registered during the renewal period this year, please contact Shelly Garg at (305) 894-1043.