Importing food for the first time
Food is among the harder categories to import for the first time, because several requirements have to be in place before the goods ship rather than after.
Licensed U.S. customs brokerage. Customs broker of record; movement coordinated through vetted partners.
Importing food into the United States for the first time requires establishing yourself as Importer of Record, arranging a customs bond, confirming the foreign facility is registered with FDA, identifying the FSVP importer, and ensuring Prior Notice is submitted before arrival. Several of these must be completed before the shipment departs, not on arrival.
Key takeaways
- Importer setup, bond and power of attorney come first, before anything ships.
- The foreign facility must be registered with FDA — verify rather than assume.
- An FSVP importer must be identified, with verification activities behind it.
- Prior Notice must be submitted before arrival, and the deadline depends on transport mode.
- Product codes and labelling should be settled before the goods are made, not after.
The order things need to happen in
Importer number, bond and power of attorney first — those take days and nothing can be filed without them. Facility registration confirmed next, because that is the supplier's obligation and you need to verify it rather than trust it. FSVP responsibility settled before arrival. Prior Notice before the goods land.
Almost every first-time food problem we see comes from doing these in the wrong order, or discovering one of them at arrival.
What catches people out
That the supplier's confidence is not verification. That FSVP is a real obligation requiring documented activities, not a box to tick. That labelling has to comply before goods are produced, because relabelling a container is expensive and sometimes impossible. And that the first shipment attracts more scrutiny than later ones, because there is no filing history behind it.
How it works
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01
Importer established
Importer number, customs bond and power of attorney in place.
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02
Supplier verified
Facility registration confirmed current; ask for evidence, not assurance.
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03
FSVP settled
Who the FSVP importer is, and what verification supports it.
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04
Product data prepared
Product codes, affirmations and labelling reviewed before production.
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05
Prior Notice arranged
Responsibility agreed in writing, and the deadline understood.
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06
First entry filed
With more review than a routine entry, because there is no history yet.
Common mistakes
- Ordering before setup is complete. Bonds and powers of attorney take days.
- Taking the supplier's word on registration. Verify it; the consequence is yours.
- Treating FSVP as paperwork. It requires documented verification activities.
- Approving labels after production. Relabelling a container is a bad week.
- Assuming the first shipment goes smoothly. New importers get more scrutiny, not less.
Questions
How long does it take to get set up to import food?
Importer setup typically takes a few business days once the information is available, with the bond usually the longest step. Supplier-side requirements — registration, and any process filings — can take considerably longer, which is why they should start first.
Do I need my own FDA registration?
Foreign facilities that manufacture, process, pack or hold food for U.S. consumption must register. Whether you as importer need any registration depends on your role. We work through it with you rather than guessing.
What is the most common first-shipment problem?
Prior Notice that nobody filed, because the importer assumed the supplier or forwarder was handling it. Agreeing responsibility in writing before departure removes it entirely.
Can you review everything before I place an order?
Yes, and that is the right point. Classification, duty exposure, registration status and labelling are all cheaper to resolve before a purchase commitment than after a container has shipped.
Related
Tell us what you're importing.
Commodity, origin, port and arrival date is enough to start.