This is a reminder that the biennial US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) facility re-registration window is opening soon. Registration happens in even years, like 2026, and the window of re-registration is between October 1 and December 31 of that year.  

All facilities that produce, manufacture, hold, or otherwise interact with food items intended for consumption in the US must register with the FDA and then re-register every two years. Failure to comply by that deadline will require these facilities to restart the registration process from the beginning, and a failure to comply at all could result in serious penalties and/or significant delays at ports of entry in the case of foreign facilities.

Importantly, importers must have a Unique Facility Identifier (UFI) before attempting registration; currently, the accepted format is the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) as provided by Dun and Bradstreet. 

Additionally, foreign facilities must have a US Agent with a US address before they can attempt registration. 

The FDA website details the registration and re-registration process in full here.