Reminder for FDA Renewal Deadline Impacting Certain Toymakers
September 23, 2022 | The Toy Association is reminding members of an end-of-year Food & Drug Administration (FDA) renewal deadline that could impact any toys containing food.
Under the Food Safety Modernization Act, the FDA requires all foreign and domestic food facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or store food or food ingredients to renew their registrations every even-numbered year (i.e. 2022). This includes pack out facilities and warehouses used by toy manufacturers and distributors.
For toy manufacturers, a failure to ensure that registrations are up to date can result in the facility being prohibited from importing or exporting toys containing food into or from the U.S., or otherwise introducing product into interstate or intrastate commerce. Failure to submit, renew, update, or cancel a registration can also result in civil or criminal action. Renewals are mandatory regardless of when the initial registration occurred.
The rule also requires all foreign food facilities to designate a U.S. agent, defined as a person or entity that is located or maintains an office in the U.S. and acts as the facility’s domestic representative through which all communication with the FDA takes place. More details can be found here.
Questions can be directed to The Toy Association’s Jos Huxley, senior vice president of technical affairs.