The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently in the process of removing duplicate food facility registrations from its system. Though the registration system will technically allow a facility to register multiple times, FDA only allows facilities to maintain one registration.
Why is this important?
Duplicate registrations can lead to unexpected problems. For one, if a facility has multiple registrations, FDA does not consider which registration is most recent or is currently being used by the facility when it decides which registration to delete. FDA may delete the registration that the facility is currently listing on its entry documents, which may lead to shipments being detained or refused entry into the U.S. due to the facility not being registered with FDA.
Even if FDA does not delete a duplicate registration, it could still cause issues. FDA requires that facilities update their registration information within 60 days of changes. Failing to update required elements of an FDA registration is a prohibited act under 21 C.F.R. 1.241 of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. If a facility has multiple registrations but only updates one, that leaves one registration non-compliant, and the facility will be responsible.
If you are unsure about whether you are registered with FDA, or whether you have duplicate registrations on file with FDA, contact Registrar Corp. We will check your facility’s FDA registration status for you. If you are not yet registered with FDA, Registrar Corp can assist with that as well. We offer a registration service through which we will properly register your facility with FDA and issue you a certificate of registration to include within your shipments.
Though a facility need only register with FDA once, all registered facilities are required to renew their registrations between October 1 and December 31 of every even-numbered year. You can contact Registrar Corp by phone at 1-757-224-0177 or online through our 24 hour Live Help service: https://www.registrarcorp.com/livehelp.
