The United States imports food, feeds, and beverages worth more than $147 billion.
Before you consider exporting cocoa beans, cocoa powder, cocoa butter, cocoa nibs, cocoa liquor, chocolate, coffee, tea, wine, beer, champagne, soft drink, vegetable oil, spice, rice, cheese, sugar, nuts and any other food products, you must first register your facility or establishment with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
When the FDA determines that food manufactured, processed, packed, received, or held by a registered food facility has a reasonable probability of causing serious adverse health consequences or death to humans or animals, the FDA may by order suspend the registration of a facility that:
- Created, caused, or was otherwise responsible for such reasonable probability
- Knew of, or had reason to know of, such reasonable probability, and packed, received, or held such food
Food Facilities include:
- Manufacturer, Processor
- Warehouse, Holding Facility
- Packer, Repacker
- Labeler, Relabeler
- Contract Sterilizer
- Salvage Operator
- Animal Food Manufacturer, Processor
- Trading Company
- Dietary Supplements Manufacturer, Processor, Exporter, Importer
Establishments that meet the definition of a primary production farm, secondary activities farm, retail food establishment, restaurant, or nonprofit food establishment, are not required to register.
Farm mixed-type facilities, must register.
Although your U.S. company does not need a U.S. Agent, your Canadian, Mexican, Brazilian, Australian, Indian, Chinese, South Korean, Japanese, Russian, Italian, Greek, Portuguese, French, Belgian, Dutch, German, Swiss, Swedish, British, Irish Facility or Establishment, is required to appoint one as part of the registration process.
What a U.S. Agent is not?
- Commercial Agent
- Customs Broker
- Initial Importer
- Importer of Record
- FSVP Importer
Registered Facilities as of January 11, 2021
Domestic (U.S.) registrations: 80,935
Foreign registrations: 101,212
Total: 182,147
Here is the list of Foreign Registered Facilities by Country:
Country | Registered |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 31 |
| Albania | 62 |
| Algeria | 26 |
| Andorra | 2 |
| Anguilla | 1 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 3 |
| Argentina | 1,307 |
| Armenia | 126 |
| Aruba | 4 |
| Australia | 1,229 |
| Austria | 523 |
| Azerbaijan | 11 |
| Bahamas | 29 |
| Bahrain | 7 |
| Bangladesh | 108 |
| Barbados | 28 |
| Belarus | 43 |
| Belgium | 614 |
| Belize | 26 |
| Benin | 13 |
| Bermuda | 3 |
| Bhutan | 4 |
| Bolivia | 103 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 50 |
| Botswana | 1 |
| Brazil | 1,956 |
| Brunei Darussalam | 4 |
| Bulgaria | 299 |
| Burkina Faso | 7 |
| Burma | 1 |
| Burundi | 11 |
| Cambodia | 36 |
| Cameroon | 39 |
| Canada | 5,270 |
| Cape Verde | 18 |
| Cayman Islands | 4 |
| Chad | 3 |
| Chile | 1,335 |
| China | 8,183 |
| Colombia | 1,282 |
| Comoros | 5 |
| Congo | 2 |
| Congo (DRC) | 14 |
| Costa Rica | 507 |
| Cote d’Ivoire | 80 |
| Croatia | 169 |
| Curacao | 4 |
| Cyprus | 59 |
| Czech Republic | 181 |
| Denmark | 260 |
| Djibouti | 2 |
| Dominica | 2 |
| Dominican Republic | 400 |
| East Timor | 1 |
| Ecuador | 909 |
| Egypt | 308 |
| El Salvador | 203 |
| Estonia | 45 |
| Ethiopia | 216 |
| Falkland Islands (Malvinas) | 5 |
| Faroe Islands | 26 |
| Fiji | 100 |
| Finland | 83 |
| France | 9,526 |
| French Guiana | 2 |
| French Polynesia | 15 |
| Gambia | 3 |
| Georgia | 148 |
| Germany | 1,986 |
| Ghana | 118 |
| Greece | 1,034 |
| Greenland | 47 |
| Grenada | 26 |
| Guadeloupe | 7 |
| Guatemala | 583 |
| Guinea | 18 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 2 |
| Guyana | 58 |
| Haiti | 57 |
| Honduras | 306 |
| Hong Kong Sar | 412 |
| Hungary | 224 |
| Iceland | 152 |
| India | 3,710 |
| Indonesia | 867 |
| Iran | 26 |
| Iraq | 38 |
| Ireland | 257 |
| Israel | 507 |
| Italy | 8,881 |
| Jamaica | 189 |
| Japan | 10,078 |
| Jersey | 1 |
| Jordan | 141 |
| Kazakhstan | 17 |
| Kenya | 216 |
| Kiribati | 2 |
| Korea | 2 |
| Korea (south) | 3,324 |
| Kosovo | 9 |
| Kuwait | 7 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 10 |
| Lao | 10 |
| Latvia | 82 |
| Lebanon | 141 |
| Lesotho | 2 |
| Liberia | 12 |
| Liechtenstein | 3 |
| Lithuania | 127 |
| Luxembourg | 15 |
| Macao Sar | 8 |
| Macedonia | 72 |
| Madagascar | 94 |
| Malawi | 31 |
| Malaysia | 552 |
| Maldives | 16 |
| Mali | 8 |
| Malta | 8 |
| Marshall Islands | 6 |
| Martinique | 13 |
| Mauritania | 5 |
| Mauritius | 31 |
| Mexico | 6,571 |
| Micronesia | 5 |
| Moldova | 69 |
| Monaco | 9 |
| Mongolia | 15 |
| Montenegro | 2 |
| Morocco | 299 |
| Mozambique | 20 |
| Myanmar | 135 |
| Namibia | 11 |
| Nepal | 65 |
| Netherlands | 848 |
| New Caledonia | 2 |
| New Zealand | 1,074 |
| Nicaragua | 228 |
| Nigeria | 305 |
| Northern Mariana Islands | 3 |
| Norway | 359 |
| Oman | 27 |
| Pakistan | 310 |
| Palau | 1 |
| Palestinian Territory | 27 |
| Panama | 135 |
| Papua New Guinea | 44 |
| Paraguay | 99 |
| Peru | 1,033 |
| Philippines | 611 |
| Poland | 796 |
| Portugal | 887 |
| Puerto Rico | 3 |
| Qatar | 2 |
| Reunion | 21 |
| Romania | 117 |
| Russia | 1,140 |
| Rwanda | 39 |
| Saint Barthelemy | 1 |
| Saint Helena, Ascension | 3 |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 4 |
| Saint Lucia | 17 |
| Saint Martin | 1 |
| Saint Vincent & Grenadines | 11 |
| Samoa | 11 |
| San Marino | 5 |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 1 |
| Saudi Arabia | 58 |
| Senegal | 39 |
| Serbia | 210 |
| Seychelles | 5 |
| Sierra Leone | 20 |
| Singapore | 190 |
| Sint Maarten | 1 |
| Slovakia | 81 |
| Slovenia | 186 |
| Solomon Islands | 2 |
| Somalia | 2 |
| South Africa | 891 |
| Spain | 4,206 |
| Sri Lanka | 306 |
| Sudan | 24 |
| Suriname | 19 |
| Swaziland | 10 |
| Sweden | 157 |
| Switzerland | 337 |
| Syria | 58 |
| Taiwan | 1,672 |
| Tajikistan | 2 |
| Tanzania | 73 |
| Thailand | 1,218 |
| Timor-Leste | 5 |
| Togo | 18 |
| Tonga | 8 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 83 |
| Tunisia | 137 |
| Turkey | 1,208 |
| Turkmenistan | 2 |
| Turks and Caicos Islands | 2 |
| Uganda | 71 |
| Ukraine | 459 |
| United Arab Emirates | 173 |
| United Kingdom | 1,465 |
| U. S. Minor Outlying Islands | 1 |
| Uruguay | 118 |
| Uzbekistan | 24 |
| Vanuatu | 8 |
| Venezuela | 160 |
| Viet Nam | 1,436 |
| Virgin Islands | 6 |
| Virgin Islands, U.S. | 2 |
| West Bank | 3 |
| Yemen | 37 |
| Zambia | 21 |
| Zimbabwe | 7 |
| TOTAL | 101,212 |
Registered Food Facilities as of December 15, 2021
Domestic (U.S.) registrations: 93,284
Foreign registrations: 127,302
Total: 220,586
Canada’s three largest cities, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver account for 75% of national economic activity and population. Approximately 90% of Canadians live within 100 miles of the U.S. border.
Nearly $130 million in food and agricultural products cross the U.S-Canada border every day.
The United States-Mexico-Canada agreement (USMCA) entered into force on July 1st, 2020.
However, Canadian food companies must register with the United States Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA).
Ready to join businesses around the world?
You could click on the link below for additional information.
