On September 27th, the FDA issued a constituent update that food facility must register or renew their registrations before the end of the year. Owners, operators, or agents in charge of a domestic or foreign facility engaged in manufacturing/processing, packing, or holding food for consumption by humans or animals in the U.S., are required to register the facility with the FDA. The registration and renewal period is open between October 1 and December 31, 2024.

The FDA will consider the registration of a food facility to be expired if a facility’s registration is not renewed by December 31, 2024. There is no fee associated with registration or renewal. Owners, operators, or agents in charge of food facilities must submit their renewal information electronically through their FDA Industry Systems (FIS) account, unless they have received a waiver that allows for paper submission.

All facilities must include a unique facility identifier (UFI) recognized as acceptable to the FDA with the food facility registration (FFR) submission. The UFI is used to verify that the facility-specific address associated with the UFI is the same address associated with the facility’s registration. Currently, the FDA recognizes the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number as an acceptable UFI. The DUNS number is assigned and managed by Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) and can be obtained or verified by visiting D&B’s website.

Food facility registration is critical to helping the FDA identify the location and possible source of a foodborne illness outbreak or potential bioterrorism incident. Food facility registration requirements were initiated with the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 and amended by the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in 2011. FSMA requires facilities to submit additional information to the FDA and to renew their registrations every other year.

The following resources are available to assist in the registration and renewal process:

FFR Renewal:

FFR Guidance:

FFR User Guides:

FIS User Guides:

Food facilities with questions can contact the Data Management Support Services: by phone 1- 240-247-8804; or by email at FURLS@fda.gov on U.S. Government business days (Monday to Friday, excluding U.S. government holidays) from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time (see Federal Holidays (opm.gov) and Current Status (opm.gov)

Published Date

September 27, 2024

Topic

Advocacy, Commodity Storage & Handling, Government & Regulatory Affairs

Region

United States

Sector

Controlled Environment Building, GCCA Transportation, GCCA Warehouse, Global Cold Chain Foundation