The Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) is a food importer's own program for verifying that a foreign supplier produces food as safely as U.S. rules require. Under 21 CFR Part 1 Subpart L it covers most imported food and sits with the U.S. importer, not the foreign supplier. Juice and seafood under HACCP, alcohol, and a few other categories are handled separately.
FSVP is not a form filed at the border. It is an ongoing program the U.S. food importer develops, maintains, and follows for each food it imports, giving adequate assurance that the foreign supplier produces the food under processes that reach at least the same level of public-health protection as the U.S. preventive-controls and produce-safety rules. The obligation rests with the importer, and the importer is identified at the time of entry.
At a high level, an FSVP covers a hazard analysis for the food, an evaluation of the foreign supplier's performance and the risk the food presents, verification activities matched to that risk (which can include auditing the supplier or reviewing records), and corrective action when something is off. It is closer to a supplier-management program than a one-time filing — which is why it is the importer's, not the supplier's.
The subpart does not apply to juice, fish, and fishery products from a supplier complying with the part 120 or part 123 HACCP rules, which carry their own importer duties; to food imported for research or evaluation, or for personal consumption, within the rule's limits; or to alcoholic beverages from a supplier regulated as an alcohol facility. Meat, poultry, and egg products under USDA jurisdiction sit outside it as well.
A very small importer — broadly, one averaging less than $1 million a year in human food, combining sales with the value of food imported or held, over the preceding three years — may follow a modified, lighter FSVP rather than the full program. The threshold is defined in the rule, and the relief is a lighter version of the program, not an exemption from it.
The free Compliance Requirement Check identifies when an imported food falls under FSVP, facility registration, or prior notice, and cites the rule for each — so a food importer knows which FDA duties are in play before ordering.
Run the free Certificate Requirement Check →The rules on this page do change — an eFiling date, a list, a threshold. Leave an email and a short note goes out if one does: a few a year at most, one click to stop, and the address is used for nothing else. A summary of the guide and a link arrive now, as confirmation.
Information current as of 2026-09-18.
This report is an automated, informational screening tool only. Tiana & Co. is not a licensed customs broker and does not conduct customs business. This report does not constitute legal advice, a compliance determination, or a certification of admissibility for any supplier, product, or shipment.
Verdicts in this report are produced by deterministic code, not by a language model. The explanatory paragraph accompanying each check is model-generated and checked against the cited sources before delivery. No part of this report is reviewed by a person before it is issued, so every material finding and citation should be confirmed against the underlying government source before it is relied on.
This report reflects data available as of the report date. The OFAC SDN and Consolidated lists, the other U.S. Consolidated Screening List constituents, the UFLPA Entity List, CBP withhold release orders, CPSC's eFiling list, and regulatory guidance are updated frequently and without prior notice. Users should re-screen periodically and consult qualified counsel for compliance decisions.
Name-similarity results do not establish or rule out the identity of any company. Where multiple similarly named records exist, none should be treated as confirmed without independent verification against the primary government source.
This tool is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a substitute for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, or any other government agency. No warranty is made as to the accuracy, completeness, or currency of any finding.
Use of this report for import, procurement, sanctions-compliance, or investment decisions is at the user's own risk. Anyone with compliance obligations under UFLPA, OFAC, or CPSC regulations should consult qualified legal counsel before making a transactional decision.
This report is an automated, informational screening tool only. Tiana & Co. is not a licensed customs broker and does not conduct customs business. This report does not constitute legal advice, a compliance determination, or a certification of admissibility for any supplier, product, or shipment.
Verdicts in this report are produced by deterministic code, not by a language model. The explanatory paragraph accompanying each check is model-generated and checked against the cited sources before delivery. No part of this report is reviewed by a person before it is issued, so every material finding and citation should be confirmed against the underlying government source before it is relied on.
This report reflects data available as of the report date. The OFAC SDN and Consolidated lists, the other U.S. Consolidated Screening List constituents, the UFLPA Entity List, CBP withhold release orders, CPSC's eFiling list, and regulatory guidance are updated frequently and without prior notice. Users should re-screen periodically and consult qualified counsel for compliance decisions.
Name-similarity results do not establish or rule out the identity of any company. Where multiple similarly named records exist, none should be treated as confirmed without independent verification against the primary government source.
This tool is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a substitute for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, or any other government agency. No warranty is made as to the accuracy, completeness, or currency of any finding.
Use of this report for import, procurement, sanctions-compliance, or investment decisions is at the user's own risk. Anyone with compliance obligations under UFLPA, OFAC, or CPSC regulations should consult qualified legal counsel before making a transactional decision.