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Customs and Trade Weekly Snapshot

Here is a recap of the latest customs and international trade law news:

Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

  • Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) announced a newly designed logo for the exclusive use of their validated partners. A partner must abide by the CTPAT licensing agreement, which must be signed by the primary company officer/main point of contact. Upon returning the signed license to the aforementioned e-mail, the graphics file will be sent to the licensee.
  • CBP Modifies Withhold Release Order in Response to Smart Glove’s Successful Actions to Address Forced Labor Supply Chain Issues
  • S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) signed a Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) with the Customs Administrations of Guatemala and Colombia at the Trade Facilitation and Cargo Security Summit.
  • Since June, CBP has seized nearly $1 billion in goods tied to forced labor

Department of Justice

 Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

  • FTC Warns Almost 700 Health Product Companies That They Could Face Civil Penalties if They Can’t Back Up Their Product Claims
  • FTC Chair Khan and Officials from DOJ, CFPB and EEOC Release Joint Statement on AI pledging to uphold America’s commitment to the core principles of fairness, equity, and justice as emerging AI systems become more common.

Congressional-Executive Commission on China

  • Held a hearing on the implementation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and the impact on global supply chains.

Bureau of Industry & […]

By |2023-04-27T21:54:51-04:00April 27, 2023|Snapshot|Comments Off on Customs and Trade Weekly Snapshot
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FDA Begins Enforcement of DUNS Number Requirement for Food Facility Registrations  

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now enforcing the requirement that every Food Facility Registration has a valid DUNS number. The FDA officially began enforcement on January 1, 2023 but gave a 60-day grace period before beginning to verify numbers.

What is a DUNS Number?

DUNS stands for Data Universal Numbering System. It is a proprietary system developed by Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) that assigns a unique number to a business entity that is recognized worldwide. The DUNS system is not unique to the FDA. Other DUNS users include the UN, Apple, and the European Commission.

Why is the FDA Requiring This Now?

The FDA has required food facilities to register with the agency since 2002, but a DUNS number was not required up until now. The DUNS requirement dates back to 2016 when the agency issued a rule implementing new food facility registration requirements. Under the rule, the FDA requires facilities to provide a unique facility identifier (UFI) when registering. Subsequent guidance provided that a DUNS number is an acceptable UFI for registration.

The utilization of DUNS numbers will help the FDA:

  • Improve accuracy and consistency in the registration database
  • Identify facilities that pose a risk
  • Verify the authenticity of registrations
  • Ensure that facility information is up to date

The FDA has been working with facilities who have had difficulty obtaining a DUNS number and has issued guidance allowing registrants to enter a “PENDING” status if they cannot obtain a number in time.

What Do Food Facilities Need to Do?

Food facilities that […]

By |2023-04-27T21:51:35-04:00April 27, 2023|Food, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)|Comments Off on FDA Begins Enforcement of DUNS Number Requirement for Food Facility Registrations  
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Customs and Trade Weekly Snapshot

Here is a recap of the latest customs and international trade law news:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

  • CBP provides guidance on cybersecurity best practices to increase supply chain resiliency
    • The new guidance document makes recommendations on how to prevent, respond to, and recover from potential cyber-attacks on customs broker data systems, from proactively putting in place plans and preventative IT controls to resuming normal business operations upon system remediation.
  • CBP’s ACE Portal is getting a major modernization upgrade, making it easier than ever to manage operations online.
  • CBP released March 2023 monthly operational update. In March 2023, CBP:
    • Processed more than 2.7 million entry summaries valued at more than $274 billion
    • Identified 400 shipments valued at more than $122 million for further examination based on the suspected use of forced labor
    • Seized 1,798 shipments that contained counterfeit goods valued at more than $335 million
    • Completed 29 audits that identified $24.7 million in duties and fees owed to the U.S. government
  • CBP issued cyber incident guidance for customs brokers which provides best practices to enhance preparedness for a cyber incident on a licensed customs broker data system.
  • Modernized ACE Portal Broker Employee Reporting Requirements to be Satisfied by 4/14/2023
  • CBP issues April 2023 reference material information for Customs Broker License Exam
  • The National Commodity Specialist Division, Office of Trade, presented the next round of commodity-specific, educational webinars to support our internal and external stakeholders.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

  • The FDA published “Catching Up […]
By |2023-04-27T21:52:53-04:00April 21, 2023|Snapshot|Comments Off on Customs and Trade Weekly Snapshot
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Customs and Trade Weekly Snapshot

Here is a recap of the latest customs and international trade law news:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP):

  • CBP issues CSMS 55754324 announcing the UFLPA Country Code Requirements The UFLPA Region Alert will add three new validations to ACE in specific applications. The validations will be:
    • Postal code will be a required field.
    • Users will receive an error message if the postal code provided is not a valid Chinese postal code.
    • Users will receive a warning message when a XUAR region postal code is provided.

 Food and Drug Administration (FDA):

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS):

  • (BIS) published a rule that adds eleven entities based in Burma, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Nicaragua, and Russia to the Entity List for enabling or engaging in human rights abuses around the world.
    • The rule also reaffirms BIS’s longstanding position that the protection of human rights throughout the world is a foreign policy interest.
  • Biden Administration and international partners release export controls and Human Rights Initiative Code of Conduct.

Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC):

By |2023-04-06T11:56:00-04:00April 6, 2023|Snapshot|Comments Off on Customs and Trade Weekly Snapshot
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