Food safety requirements help us enjoy our favorite meals without getting sick. But they’re often challenging for food importers to follow. 

The U.S. government doesn’t want goods coming into the country if they’ve been produced with forced labor. It’s placed a variety of legal demands on importers because of this. Complying with these obligations is essential if you import goods into the United States. Otherwise, your shipments could be detained, returned to their origin port, or seized entirely.

The Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Global Business Identifier (GBI) program is an innovative program that’s initiative formed from the challenges associated with the Manufacturer/Shipper Identification Number (MID) and its lack of data quality and uniqueness. CBP hopes the new program will give them better visibility into the supply chain and result in products moving through customs faster. 

Selecting the right customs broker is like finding the perfect key to unlock a door.

Shipping your products internationally can help your business thrive. But strict custom regulations often make this easier said than done. That’s why many companies choose to work with customs brokers.

The Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) is part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The FSMA was passed to prevent foodborne illnesses in the United States. The FSVP puts the responsibility on importers to make sure that imported foods meet the same safety standards as domestic food.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is changing things up by shifting how it collects duties and taxes on commercial imports.

This blog post was originally published on 2/21/2022 and was updated on 1/17/2024.

Trying to ship without a freight forwarding standard operating procedure (SOP) is like trying to drive a car without starting the engine. The SOP is necessary to ensure operations between importers, freight forwarders, carriers, and other stakeholders run smoothly. 

The EPA regulates substances that people and animals cannot consume or breathe in without risk of severe illness or death. Though this is a gross simplification, the statement illustrates how involved the EPA is in our daily lives and with our imports.

What do cheese pizzas, closed-face sandwiches, cans, rabbits, and table salts have in common? They are all regulated by the FDA.

When it comes to importing and exporting, Customs takes their job seriously, especially regarding Lacey Act violations. Civil and criminal penalties are severe for companies that violate its terms.