Food and Drug Administration import alerts affecting the following have been newly issued or modified in the past week.
- bok choy from Mexico
- dried peppers from Mexico
- filled cakes from China
- fish from Pakistan
- freeze dried shallot granules from China
- fruit flavored cookies from India
- hard cheese from Ecuador
- limes from Mexico
- madras curry powder from India
- mixed fruits from China
- papaya from Mexico
- parsley from Mexico
- red beets from Mexico
- shrimp and prawns from Indonesia
- skin care preparations from Korea
- soft and soft ripened cheese made from sheep’s milk from France\
- strawberries from Mexico
- vitamins and minerals from India
Import alerts inform FDA field staff that the agency has enough evidence or other information to allow a product that appears to be in violation of FDA laws and regulations to be detained without physical examination at the time of entry. Import alerts may cover products from designated countries or areas (including from all foreign countries), manufacturers, or shippers.
Firms and/or products on the “red list” of an import alert are subject to DWPE, while firms and/or products on the “green list” are not because they have met the criteria for exclusion. Some import alerts include a “yellow list” of firms, products, and/or countries subject to intensified surveillance because the nature of the violations may warrant further field examinations of individual entries and/or additional analyses. In addition, depending on the specific import alert, shipments of products subject to DWPE may still be imported into the U.S. if the importer has demonstrated that the shipment is in compliance.
If a product is detained without physical examination the importer has the right to provide evidence to the FDA in an attempt to overcome the appearance of the violation. If no such evidence is submitted, or if the evidence provided is insufficient, the product will be subject to refusal of entry into the U.S.
For more information on this and other FDA issues, please contact FDA consultant Domenic Veneziano at (202) 734-3939 or via email.
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