FDA Cuts Nearly a Quarter of Food Facilities From Its Database

Earlier this year, the FDA cut 59,420 food facilities from their registration database, nearly a quarter of facilities registered. Food facilities must renew their registration between October and December of every even-numbered year. If a company fails to do so, the registration they previously had expires, and they are removed from the database after the renewal period. 

In 2020, there was a 19% decrease in food facilities registered through FDA food registration across the United States. Food facilities outside of the United States saw a 29% decrease. Countries that had the highest number of registrations cut were Chine, Italy, Japan, and Mexico. The near-halt of the world brought this on by the onset of the Coronavirus, but even as the world was moving again, facility registration numbers dropped. 

The FDA will not notify facilities when registrations are removed, so many find out when their shipments are detained. This can even happen to products that do not renew FDA device registration. Shipments are detained by FDA Compliance Officers at the United States Port of Entry in which they arrive or leave. 

In the United States, distributing food with an expired registration will cause a facility’s owner to be subject to civil or criminal penalties. All facilities with expired registrations must register again with the FDA and receive a new registration number before they can safely and legally resume manufacturing, production, processing, packing, and storing food intended for consumption within the United States. 

For more information on FDA registrations, please visit us online.