What FSVP requires
The verification duty sits with you, not your supplier. It is a programme you are expected to already have, not a form filed at the border.
Licensed U.S. customs brokerage. Customs broker of record; movement coordinated through vetted partners.
The Foreign Supplier Verification Program requires importers of food to verify that their foreign suppliers produce it in a manner meeting U.S. safety standards. It is an ongoing programme with documented procedures and retained records, not a filing made at the time of entry.
Key takeaways
- The obligation is on the importer, not the foreign supplier.
- It requires documented procedures and records, held in advance.
- An FSVP importer must be identified at entry.
- Records must be produced on request, in English, promptly.
- It applies to many importers who do not think of themselves as food companies.
It is a programme, not a filing
Most import requirements are satisfied by transmitting the right data at the right moment. FSVP is not one of them. It expects that you already evaluate your suppliers, that you have written procedures for doing so, and that you keep records demonstrating you followed them.
The entry itself only asks who the FSVP importer is. The substance sits behind that answer, and it either exists or it does not. It cannot be assembled in the hours after a shipment lands.
Who it catches
Importers who think of themselves as distributors, brand owners or online sellers rather than food businesses are regularly surprised to find the obligation is theirs. If you are the importer bringing food into the United States, the programme is yours to run.
The scope of food is broad — ingredients, beverages, supplements and food for animals as well as finished human food — which widens the population of affected importers well beyond the obvious ones.
What an inspection actually asks for
Records, promptly, in English. Your hazard analysis, your evaluation of the supplier, the verification activities you carried out and what they showed.
The common failure is not the absence of a good supplier. It is the absence of documentation that the supplier was evaluated, which leaves an importer with a genuinely safe product and no way to demonstrate it.
How it works
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01
Identify the foreign suppliers
By facility, for each food you import.
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02
Analyse the hazards
For each food, documented.
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03
Evaluate the supplier
Against those hazards and their performance.
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04
Carry out verification activities
Proportionate to the hazard, and recorded.
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05
Retain and maintain
Records in English, produced promptly on request.
Common mistakes
- Treating it as an entry filing. The substance sits behind the entry, not in it.
- Assuming the supplier's certifications suffice. The evaluation obligation is yours.
- Not knowing which facility made the food. Verification is facility-level.
- Keeping records only in another language. They must be produced in English.
- Starting after a shipment is held. The programme cannot be built retrospectively.
Questions
Who has to comply with FSVP?
Generally the importer of food, defined for this purpose as the U.S. owner or consignee at entry. Many importers who do not consider themselves food businesses are covered.
Is FSVP something my broker files?
No. The entry identifies the FSVP importer, but the programme itself — the evaluations, the procedures, the records — is yours to run and maintain.
Does a supplier audit certificate satisfy it?
It can form part of your verification, but it does not replace your own documented evaluation. The obligation to assess sits with the importer.
What happens if records can't be produced?
It is treated seriously. An importer with a genuinely compliant supplier but no documentation is in a considerably weaker position than the product alone would suggest.
Related
Tell us what you're importing.
Commodity, origin, port and arrival date is enough to start.