FDA & Wood Packaging Materials updates
Potential government shutdown averted
On December 21, 2024, Congress passed a budget bill to keep the federal government operating through March 14, 2025. This bill effectively averted a potential government shutdown for the time being. Learn more about how you can prepare for a potential government shutdown in the future.
AMS updates organic filing requirements
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is removing the AM7 “may be required” flag from approximately 1,700 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) codes for organic requirements. This change affects products that are not directly organic food, feed, or textile related. This means a “disclaim” no longer needs to be issued for some products covered by HTS chapters 53–94.
FDA mandates Intended Use Codes (IUCs) for additional commodities
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an updated Supplemental Guide outlining a list of commodities that will require IUCs for entry submission. Some commodities include:
- Cosmetics (Program Code COS)
- Ceramicware & other food contact substances (Program/Processing Code FOO/CCW)
- Pharmaceutical Necessities, Containers, Inactive Pharmaceutical Ingredients Excipients (Program/Processing Code DRU/PHN)
- Veterinary medical devices (Program/Processing Code VME/ADE)
Review the updated draft for additional guidance and to prepare for these changes.
CBP and APHIS issue new Wood Packaging Material (WPM) checklist
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have prepared a WPM checklist for stakeholders and their supply chains. With CBP agriculture stepping up enforcement of the WPM requirements, share the checklist with foreign shippers to encourage inspection of shipments prior to shipping. This step is an easy way to promote compliance with WPM importation standards. For more information, check out the C.H. Robinson WPM guide.
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