Food facility registrations with FDA are down worldwide for 2021

Domestic and international food facility registrations have nose-dived, likely in part because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Food facilities worldwide that do business in the United States must register with the Food and Drug Administration at the start of each odd numbered year. The 10-year old Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requires food facility registrations.

FDA accepted registrations between Dec. 18, 2020, and Jan. 11, 2021, for the new odd year of 2021 and found a smaller universe of food companies registering.

Registrar Corp., a Hampton, VA-based private company that helps businesses complying with FDA regulations, reports 59,420 fewer food facilities were registered with FDA in January 2021 than in December 2020.

“Many facilities do not realize that FDA removed their registrations until a shipment is detained at the U.S. border,” a Registrar Corp. spokesman explained.

Current valid food facility registrations are off 25 percent, standing at 182,147 worldwide. This past year ended with 241,567 food facility registrations with FDA. Registrar Corp. also helps companies, at no cost, verify that their food facility registrations were property renewed.

Foreign food facilities account for 55.5 percent of the current registrations. International food facilities make up 101,212 of the filings.

Countries with more than 1,000 food facilities registered with FDA include:

• Agrentina (1,307)
• Australia (1,229)
• Brazil (1,958)
• Canada (5,270)
• Chile (1,335)
• China (8,183)
• Columbia (1,282)
• France (9,526)
• Germany (1,986)
• Greece (1,034)
• India (3,710)
• Italy (8,881)
• Japan (10,078)
• Korea (3,324)
• Mexico (6,571)
• New Zealand (1,074)
• Peru (1,033)
• Russia (1,140)
• Spain (4,206)
• Taiwan (1,672)
• Thailand (1,216)
• Turkey (1,206)
• Britain (1,465)

Domestic food facility registrations were down 19 percent at 80,935.    The distribution of food facilities for all U.S. states and territories  is provided by FDA, as of January 2021: