More than 20% of food facilities have lost their FDA registrations, according to a recent report by Registrar Corp. This is likely because the facilities failed to renew their registrations by the December 31, 2018, deadline.
All domestic and foreign facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or hold food for human or animal consumption in the United States are required to register with the FDA, and those registrations must be renewed between October 1 and December 31 of every even-numbered year. Any registration not renewed during this time is considered expired. Registrar Corp specifies that the date of the initial registration doesn’t matter. “If a facility registers the day prior to the FDA renewal period (October 1), they are still subject to registration renewal.”
The 47,635 facilities that were removed are located around the world, with the majority (~20,000) being in the United States. Registrar Corp notes that facilities with expired registrations are not allowed to distribute food in the United States and that many overseas facilities may not know their registrations are expired until their shipments are detained at the border.
- If you’re unsure whether you renewed your registration, Registrar Corp is offering a free verification service to help you find out.
- For instructions on how to renew your registration, visit the FDA website.
- For more information about food facility registration in general, view the FDA fact sheet.
Note that this is the last renewal cycle when the FDA will accept paper renewals. Starting next year, all submissions must be made electronically unless you have a waiver.
