FDA Updates Food Product Categories for Facility Registrations

Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg Trade Report 

The Food and Drug Administration has updated the food product categories that foreign and domestic facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or hold food for human or animal consumption in the U.S. can select when registering with the FDA. Food facilities will be required to select from these updated categories during the Oct. 1 through Dec. 31 registration renewal period.

 Click here for more information or to register or renew a registration for a food facility.

According to the FDA, updates include the following.

  • acidified foods and low acid canned foods are no longer listed as food product categories because they are now activity types
  • molluscan shellfish is now a food product category (previously, molluscan shellfish establishment was listed among the optional activity types)
  • new animal food categories include botanicals and herbs, direct fed microbials, animal protein products (replacing animal derived products), forage products, human food by-products not otherwise listed, processed animal waste products (replacing recycled animal waste products), and technical additives

The FDA states that detailed and accurate information about the categories of food a facility manufactures or distributes helps the agency to (a) conduct investigations and surveillance operations in response to food-related emergencies, (b) quickly alert facilities potentially affected by such an incident if it receives information indicating the type of food affected, and (c) verify that imported products are correctly identified by where and when they were produced.