Food and Drug Administration import alerts on the following have been modified in the past week.
- dried preserved fruits from specified countries/areas
- dates from China
- raw agricultural products
- all milk products, milk-derived ingredients, and finished food products containing milk from China
- products from firms refusing FDA foreign establishment inspection
- fish and fishery products for importer and foreign processor combinations
- aquaculture seafood products
- foods containing illegal and/or undeclared colors
- medical instruments from Pakistan
- low-acid canned foods or acidified foods
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Importers of FDA-regulated goods are responsible for ensuring that such imports are in compliance with FDA laws and regulations. Before shipping into the U.S., importers should be aware of whether or not their product is listed on an import alert.
Import alerts inform FDA field staff that the agency has enough evidence or other information to allow a product that appears to be in violation of FDA laws and regulations to be detained without physical examination at the time of entry. Import alerts may cover products from designated countries or areas (including from all foreign countries), manufacturers, or shippers.
Firms and/or products on the “red list” of an import alert are subject to DWPE, while firms and/or products on the “green list” are not because they have met the criteria for exclusion. Some import alerts include a “yellow list” of firms, products, and/or countries subject to intensified surveillance because the nature of the violations may warrant further field examinations of individual entries and/or additional analyses. In addition, depending on the specific import alert, shipments of products subject to DWPE may still be imported into the U.S. if the importer has demonstrated that the shipment is in compliance.
If a product is detained without physical examination the importer has the right to provide evidence to the FDA in an attempt to overcome the appearance of the violation. If no such evidence is submitted, or if the evidence provided is insufficient to overcome the appearance of the violation, the product will be subject to refusal of entry into the U.S.
For more information on FDA import alerts, including how to get a product removed from an import alert, please contact trade attorney Shelly Garg at (305) 894-1043.
This article was originally published in the Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg Trade Report on July 10, 2019.