Exporting food to the USA – FDA prior notice

Question

Hi,
Can anyone please help with the following questions…

1 – Do I need to complete a prior notice submission for all individual items I send to the USA? Is there a way to streamline this process?

2 – I need to enter the manufacturer registration number on the FDA website, but I can not find this information. Where could I find these numbers for large companies like Nestle?

Thanks,
Joe

Answer

Hello Joe,

To answer your questions, yes you will have to give prior notice before each shipment is sent to the US. I know that it can be tedious but unfortunately that is how the FDA/customs regulates the food and drink products entering the US market.

Second, you will need the FDA registration numbers for each of the products you are shipping. If you are not manufacturing the products yourself, you will have to contact the manufacturer and ask them to release their numbers to you. As far as I know there is no online database where these numbers are available.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Lauren

Export Action Plan