The FDA removed 59,420 food facilities from its registration database in January 2021, resulting in a 25% decrease in the total number of food facilities registered with agency. As reported here, food facilities are required to renew their FDA registrations between October 1 and December 31 of each even numbered year. FDA considers registrations that are not renewed by the deadline to be “expired” and removes facilities that did not renew shortly after each renewal period.

As of January 5, 2021, Registrar Corp reports that 182,147 food facilities remained in FDA’s database compared to the 241,567 registered in December 2020. There was a 19% decrease in food facilities registered in the U.S. When combined, food facilities located outside of the U.S. saw a significantly higher decrease of 29%. Exporting countries with the highest number of registrations removed include China, Mexico, Italy and Japan. To see the registration totals broken down by country, click here.

The FDA does not typically notify food facilities when their registrations are removed. Many facilities do not realize their registrations are expired until their shipments are detained by FDA Compliance Officers at the U.S. Port of Entry.

Registrar Corp says they can help verify if registration was successfully renewed for 2021 at no cost by clicking here.

Distributing food in the U.S. with an expired registration is prohibited and may subject a facility’s owner to civil or criminal penalties. Facilities with expired registrations must re-register with FDA and obtain a new registration number prior to continuing manufacturing, processing, packing or storing food for U.S. consumption.

For more information, contact Registrar Corp at 757-224-0177 or chat with a Regulatory Advisor 24-hours a day at www.registrarcorp.com/livechat.