If you have need to transport food of some sort in the United States, it is likely you are going to have the time of your life working with the Food and Drug Administration. The process may not be as easy as you would like, but in the end, the result is certainly so: ensuring foods are safe for consumption.
If you plan to deal with food of any type, or even dietary supplements, you will have to be registered through the Food and Drug Administration. In doing so, the FDA will be able to find the path in which a food or dietary product took in order to recall it, and find the source of problems that may arise. As such, you and your 3PL company should ensure all business partners are registered before doing business.
One step that is often overlooked is verifying the address of any businesses that you are planning to work with. In making sure that the business address matches the one with the address on file with the FDA, you not only avoid trouble yourself but avoid the FDA looking into the case more and delaying your shipments. This can save both time and money.
All clearance documents you and your logistics company work with should have the FDA product code stamped on it. This will give both you and the FDA information on the goods being imported. This seven character string will tell you several things, such as the class code, product name, group code, or product industry code.
One must also follow the Bio-terrorism Act, more specifically Title III. This act specifies that anyone importing foods into the US must adhere to certain rules. For instance, advance notification must be given to the FDA before a shipment arrives. Logistics companies should also keep substantial records on the food and where it is going to appease the title.
There is so much work that is needed to be done when being legal to operate in the food industry. Even keeping up on current laws can be tough if you don’t have the proper staff or a third party logistics company to help you out. This holds true for restaurant owners, farmers, and even anyone who comes into direct contact with their business. If you aren’t sure on how to handle your expansion, the best way to go about the situation is to hire a 3PL company.
Closing Comments
As you can see, even an introductory article on managing a food-related business in the United States can be a lot to remember. In fact, there is a lot more information you should know about operating such a business in the US. If you don’t have the time to learn or hire others to learn about the process, the best course of action is to seek out 3PL services.
