July 24 Deadline for Use of DUNS Number with FDA Food Shipments
Starting July 24, food import entries/shipments will be rejected if a DUNS number to identify the FSVP importer is not provided in the FDA Message Set.
For the past five years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has temporarily accepted the code “UNK” in lieu of a DUNS number. This practice will no longer be acceptable as of July 24.
The DUNS number is location specific and should correspond to the FSVP importer’s U.S. location. If the U.S. importer has multiple locations and multiple DUNS numbers, customs brokers should use the DUNS number for the location where FSVP records are maintained.
DUNS numbers can be searched or requested through Dan & Bradstreet at the Import Safety Lookup Portal. More information is also available in this CSMS to the trade.
Source: National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, Inc. (NCBAA)
About NCBFAA: Headquartered in Washington, DC, the NCBFAA represents more than 1,000 member companies with 110,000 employees in international trade – the nation’s leading freight forwarders, customs brokers, ocean transportation intermediaries (OTIs), NVOCCs and air cargo agents, serving more than 250,000 importers and exporters.
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