What the U.S. importer is responsible for

Under the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP), the U.S. importer must verify that each foreign supplier produces food to U.S. safety standards: a hazard analysis, an evaluation of the supplier and verification activities such as reviewing records or test results. We share the documents an FSVP file usually needs — specification, process description, certificates and lot test results — before the first shipment.

Every food shipment needs a Prior Notice submitted to the FDA before arrival. For ocean freight it must reach the FDA at least eight hours before the vessel arrives at the U.S. port.

Product notes

Frozen and dried fruit for processing or retail follow FDA food rules; retail packs need English labelling with ingredients, net weight, country of origin and the importer or distributor. Fresh fruit is a separate case: many fresh fruits from Vietnam need USDA APHIS approval and treatment, so check the APHIS import requirements for the specific fruit before ordering fresh produce.