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 In this section:

                Importing Food Products into the United States

Importing Food Products into the United States

                        Prior Notice of Imported Foods
          Filing Prior Notice of Imported Foods
          Voluntary Qualified Importer Program (VQIP)
          Voluntary Qualified Importer Program (VQIP): Public List of Approved VQIP Importers
          Accredited Third-Party Certification Program
          Accredited Third-Party Certification Program: Public Registry of Accredited Third-Party Certification Bodies
          Accredited Third-Party Certification Program: Public Registry of Recognized Accreditation Bodies
          Accredited Third-Party Certification Program: Voluntary Audit Templates
          Foreign Suppliers Verification Programs (FSVP) - List of Participants
          Foreign Suppliers Verification Programs (FSVP) - Importer Portal for Records Submission
          FDA Strategy for the Safety of Imported Food Home
          Food
          Guidance & Regulation (Food and Dietary Supplements)
          Food Imports & Exports
          Importing Food Products into the United States
          Prior Notice of Imported FoodsImporting Food Products into the United States Prior Notice of Imported Foods
  
  	
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OMB Approval Number: **0910-0520**
OMB Expiration Date: 7/31/2020
See OMB Burden Statement

The Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 (the Bioterrorism Act) directs the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as the food regulatory agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, to take additional steps to protect the public from a threatened or actual terrorist attack on the U.S. food supply and other food-related emergencies.

Along with other provisions, the Act requires that FDA receive prior notification of food, including animal feed that is imported or offered for import into the United States. Advance notice of import shipments allows FDA, with the support of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), to target import inspections more effectively and help protect that nation's food supply against terrorist acts and other public health emergencies.

The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) signed January 4th, 2011 aims to ensure the U.S. food supply is safe by shifting the focus of federal regulators from responding to contamination to preventing it. On May 5, 2011 the FDA published an interim final rule requiring that a person submitting prior notice of imported food, including food for animals, to report the name of any country to which the article has been refused entry. The new information can help FDA make better informed decisions in managing potential risks of imported food into the United States.

Additional Overview and Background

Filing Prior Notice

For Instructions on the Prior Notice System Interface (PNSI), see Filing Prior Notice, which includes the following resources and more:

Quick Start Guide
	Instructions for Prior Notice for Food Articles sent by International Mail
	Instructions for Prior Notice for Food Articles in PNSI
	Instructions for PNSI "Wizards"
	Instructions for Additional Capabilities in PNSI: Find, Copy and Cancel Web Entries and Prior Notices
	Product Code Builder TutorialGuidance Documents and Rules

Proposed Rule: Adding Requirement to Submit Mail Tracking Number for Articles of Food Arriving by International Mail and Timeframe for Post-Refusal and Post-Hold Submissions
	Final Rule: Information Required in Prior Notice of Imported Food
	Draft Guidance for Industry: Prior Notice of Imported Food Questions and Answers (Edition 4)
	Guidance for Industry: Prior Notice of Imported Food Questions and Answers (Edition 3)
	Guidance for Industry: Prior Notice of Imported Food Contingency Plan for System Outages
	Compliance Policy Guide, Guidance for FDA and CBP Staff: Prior Notice of Imported FoodInternational Mail and Gifts

Importing Gift Packs and Prior Notice
	Prior Notice Policy on Sending Gifts to Your Friends and FamilyContact FDA

**System Help Desk**800-216-7331240-247-8804 INTL
Contact for questions regarding PNSI account creation, management, password reset, and technical computer questions. (Mon–Fri 7:30 am - 11:00 pm EST)

**Division of Food Defense Targeting
(formerly Prior Notice Center)**866-521-2297571-468-1488 INTL571-468-1936 Faxprior.notice@fda.hhs.gov 
Contact for questions regarding prior notice policies, procedures, and interpretations. (24/7)

**Division of Import Operations & Policy**301-796-0356
Contact for import questions not related to prior notice.

                                                                                  Content current as of:
      10/31/2023
              
              
Regulated Product(s)
		 Food & BeveragesTopic(s)
			  ImportImporting Food Products into the United States

          
                        Prior Notice of Imported Foods
          Filing Prior Notice of Imported Foods
          Voluntary Qualified Importer Program (VQIP)
          Voluntary Qualified Importer Program (VQIP): Public List of Approved VQIP Importers
          Accredited Third-Party Certification Program
          Accredited Third-Party Certification Program: Public Registry of Accredited Third-Party Certification Bodies
          Accredited Third-Party Certification Program: Public Registry of Recognized Accreditation Bodies
          Accredited Third-Party Certification Program: Voluntary Audit Templates
          Foreign Suppliers Verification Programs (FSVP) - List of Participants
          Foreign Suppliers Verification Programs (FSVP) - Importer Portal for Records Submission
          FDA Strategy for the Safety of Imported Food
 
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