Worldwide Customs & Regulatory Updates
December 6, 2004
Service Notice : Food shipment sent to US during year-end holiday season
Effective December 2003, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has implemented new regulations which require Prior Notice for shipments sent to or via the U.S. that contain food or food ingredients. As the year end holiday season approaches, we would like to take this opportunity to make sure you are aware of the FDA regulations and the required information to avoid clearance delays.
Prior Notice must be provided for each different food product in a shipment, and any missing data may cause the shipment to be delayed and possible refusal by FDA. Besides, we would like to recommend you to separate shipment of food stuffs from the others to avoid serious trouble possible from customs delay of food shipments. To find out more details about the required data elements, please click here.
This Prior Notice must be filed electronically with the FDA four (4) hours prior to the arrival of the goods to the U.S. It is important to note that goods which transit the U.S. on their way to their ultimate destination country are subject to this provision as well. Fines or penalties may be assessed for shipments arriving without proper Prior Notice. All shippers should review documentation for food shipments sent to the U.S. to ensure all Prior Notice data elements are included.
FedEx can help you file the Prior Notice to FDA. Please download and fill in the Prior Notice Submission form, and attach it with your shipment. With the information you provided in the form, we will then file the Notice.