Shipping Food and Food Ingredients from International Sources

Owners, operators or agents in charge of domestic and foreign facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or hold food for human or animal consumption in the United States must register their facilities with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). If an article of food being imported or offered for import is from a facility for which registration has not been submitted, the article is subject to hold by US Customs until the registration is attained. In addition, a Prior Notice must be received and approved by the FDA before the material arrives in the United States. The following procedure will help you complete this regulatory requirement and facilitate shipment and delivery of food and food ingredients to the University of Illinois.

Procedure

1. The foreign facility must register directly with the FDA through the on-line system at www.access.fda.gov Registration is free. No certificate of registration will be issued. FDA will issue a registration number to registered facilities. FDA’s list of registered facilities and registration documents submitted to FDA are not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

2. Prior to shipping the material, contact Bill Krutz, Customs Entry Writer of Seko Logistics Chicago. Mr. Krutz serves as customs clearance broker for the University of Illinois and will file the necessary paperwork for Prior Notice.

Contact
Bill Krutz
Customs Entry Writer/Import Ops
Seko Logistics Chicago
101 Mark St STE G
Wood Dale, IL 60191
Phone: 847-238-1900 ext. 215 
Fax: 847-238-9840
Email: bill.krutz@sekologistics.com

3. You will need to provide the following documents to file the Prior Notice:

  • Airway Bill or House Bill of Lading (ocean shipments)
  • Commercial Invoice
  • Packing List
  • And if possible, additional literature that helps describe the items being shipped such as certificates of analysis or short descriptions of processing.

4. Please place your facility registration number on the Airway Bill or House Bill of Lading and on the Commercial Invoice.