Food and Drug Administration import alerts on the following have been modified in the past week.
- drugs from firms which have not met good manufacturing practices for drugs
- cantaloupes from Mexico
- papaya from Mexico
- fish/fishery products from foreign processors not in compliance with seafood HACCP
- food and seafood products due to the presence of Salmonella
- foods containing illegal and/or undeclared colors
- food products containing sulfites
- processed seafood and analogue seafood (surimi) products for Listeria Monocytogenes
- processed human and animal foods for pesticides
- products from Japan due to radionuclide contamination
- raw agricultural products for pesticides
- seafood and seafood products from specific manufacturers/shippers due to decomposition and/or histamines
- soft cheese and soft ripened cheese from France
- spices and spice products due to lead contamination
- low-acid canned foods or acidified foods due to inadequate process control or without filed scheduled processes
- fresh produce that appears to have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions
- unapproved new drugs promoted in the U.S.
- dried fruit due to lead
[Click here for ST&R’s on-demand webinar on how to avoid costs and delays from FDA import alerts.]
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, the product will be subject to refusal of entry into the U.S.
This article was originally published in the Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg Trade Report on November 27, 2019.