All shipments of meat, poultry, or egg products must be reinspected by FSIS at an official import inspection establishment after meeting U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service requirements. All facilities intending to operate as official import inspection establishments must apply for a Federal Grant of Inspection (GOI) (9 CFR 304.1).

Since 1990, FSIS has limited GOIs for official import inspection establishments to facilities within 50 miles of conventional ports of entry, generally located around the country’s perimeter in consideration of food defense and security issues, as well as inspection resource constraints. 

However, more recently, FSIS’ security and food defense concerns have been addressed by advances in international trade data systems, the implementation of the agency’s Public Health Information System (PHIS) electronic import component, import prior notification requirements (9 CFR 327.5, 381.198, 557.5, and 590.920), and the agency’s ability to track import shipments when they arrive in the U.S. Therefore, FSIS has decided that going forward, it will not deny GOIs based exclusively on the 50-mile criterion.

To provide more flexibilities to importers and domestic establishments, FSIS will consider, on a case-by-case basis, GOIs for official import inspection establishments outside the 50-mile geographic radius of a U.S. land or sea port of entry. In reviewing GOI applications for import inspection establishments, FSIS will consider factors such as: 1) the availability of inspection program personnel to staff the establishment; 2) the expected volume of product; and 3) the hours the establishment would be operating to determine whether FSIS should issue the GOI.

The change announced by FSIS comes in response to a joint petition by the GCCA and the Meat Import Council of America (MICA). The organizations say it is the culmination of many months of work "to secure a common-sense change to the policy that unnecessarily limits the geographic location within which a facility can be located to be permitted to serve as an 'Import House' (I-House)."

"I- House" designation means a storage warehouse has been permitted to serve as a holding area for goods called for import inspection by FSIS. "I-House" status is granted by FSIS and comes with several requirements around the separation of products and making available space and equipment to conduct inspections. The rule change ends a longstanding policy requirement that "I-House" status would only be granted to facilities within a 50-mile radius of a U.S. Port of Entry.

Visit the FSIS website for more information on how to apply for a GOI.