No matter where the products come from, two steps must be followed every time: First, the Importer must assume the role of an FSV, next they must follow the ACE system.
The Role of an FSV – The role of an FSV simply means that you are following the protocols of a Food Safety Verifier. Since you maintain a warehouse that is FSVP compliant, you must now take the standards that you have passed and assert it onto the food products being brought in.
The ACE System – Automated Commercial Environment is the official system through which the trade community reports imports and exports. Once you have inspected the products, you must log one of three codes for the products: FSV, FNX, or RNE.
If the products are compliant, you will mark them FSV*. The products will continue through their import process and be distributed as such.
What happens if the Products are not FSVP compliant
There are two classifications to follow through once food products are not considered compliant, they are either dubbed FSX or sent to RNE.
FSVP Exempt (FSX) – Food products that are dubbed FSX do not necessarily need to follow the FSVP guidelines. These can be anything from foods that aren’t held to the same standards, to food that is held to higher standards. For example, Cans are sealed and presumably boxed and withheld, with the exemption of damaged goods, canned foods are by default FSVP compliant and would be parsed through a different branch of FSMA for further inspection.
Research and Evaluation (RNE) – Additionally, if something is not completely FSVP compliant, they could be passed to RNE or Research and Evaluation. When this happens, they inspect whether or not the food is still passable and able to be distributed for healthy ingestion. Depending on how the food is processed, it could be sent back, or it could be distributed under a limited exemption.
A1WWL takes being FSVP compliant very seriously. As part of the Food Safety Modernization Act, there is a lot of information to go through, and we hope that this guide has helped you understand the ins and outs of the FSVP process. IF you would like to learn more about FSVP or how we can help you pass your products through customs easier, please give us a call today!
Special Notes
* – When FSV entities are transmitted to ACE, the following data is required:
• DUNS Number
• Firm Name
• Firm Address
• Entity Role of FSV
• Email Address
Ships are commissioned for work after they have been rigorously tested and inspected. This can be anything from warships being dubbed battle ready or cargo ships shown to be structurally sound. These tests are known as sea trials and are used to identify deficiencies that would need to be fixed beforehand.
How do they become decommissioned?
Ships become decommissioned over time because the sea takes a heavy toll on the structure. This is usually determined when they come to port, and they are inspected. Think of it as a pit stop during a high-speed race, they will see how long it takes to bring the ship back to working order and eventually those repairs will become too costly and thus cargo ships are considered decommissioned.
What happens to them?
There are a few creative ways that cargo ships become decommissioned.
Cargo Reefs – In Texas, it is incredibly common to take old cargo ships and sink them so they may become artificial reefs that sealife can go and live in. The most famous one of these have been known as the Kraken and was featured in a video dubbed ‘Release the Kraken.’
There are two important points to know about when importing medical devices. First, medical devices must comply with every standard of normal importation except you must also file the belongings in what is known as an MDR. Second, if the medical devices import radiation, there is a completely different process that you need to adhere to.
How to Import Medical Devices
Firstly, the manufacturer you are importing from must follow American regulations before they can be imported to the country.
Checklist of Foreign Regulations:
Registration of Establishment
Listing of Devices
Manufacturing in Accordance with Quality Regulation
All of those must be strictly adhered to as a foreign manufacturer. But if you are an importer, the main change you must make is to follow an MDR filing.
Medical Device Reporting: The Form FDA 3500A is a report that the importer must have on-hand and report from the manufacturer. This report details reports of deaths or serious injuries as well as malfunctions associated with these medical devices.
When a medical device emits radiation, it must follow-through a separated process from the typical importation. You must specifically follow the FFDC Act (Federal Food, Drug, Cosmetic Act) Subchapter C- Electronic Product Radiation Control.
Following these standards means you must follow these requirements.
Performance Standards – How much radiation will be emitted and how efficiently it is capable of doing so.
Proper Labeling – Contents of the device, what type of radiation is emitted and how many quantifiable units could be irradiated from the device.
Radiation Safety Reports – Detailed reports about how to properly handle the radiation and how strong the radiation could be.
With A1WWL, we work to remove as many hurdles between you and your products. If you want a smooth import of your medical devices, please give us a call before beginning the transition, we could save you a lot of headaches and setbacks between you and accessing your device.
There was an article recently that showcased the Chief of the Panama Canal reflecting on the previous year after the expansion. Of the points he spoke about, he touched upon the $5.5 billion expansion and the results of the expansion.
His Major Talking Points
The New Capacity – The canal added lane with longer/larger locks. These allow longer ships to move through as was previously not possible while also allowing smaller ships to pass through quicker.
The Big Ships – The OOCL France which is as long as the Eiffel Tower traversed the canal on May 24th and contained 13,926 TEU’s of Cargo. Disney’s Cruise Line moved with its 2700+ passengers through the canal on April 29th.
The Narrowing Bottom Line
The Canal is a Shortcut – “The Canal is more competitive when oil is above $50 a barrel, above $55 it’s very competitive.” While as of writing today it is $46 per barrel, the competition to traverse the canal will only increase over time as oil prices dither constantly and are expected to rise even more in the next few months and years.
As ships have become larger and longer the expansion of the canal was a necessary step. There would only be so much time until someone made a better shortcut. While the investment hasn’t made its money back yet, it has cemented the Panama Canal as the definitive shortcut through the Americas.
A1WWL
We are always pushing to keep our pulse on the news of the industry and of the technology that is pushing our trade further. We can’t help but wonder in the next few decades if the canal will be as useful as it is today with the concepts of drone warehouses and solar powered vessels. What are your thoughts on the matter? Leave a comment below or give us a call and talk about it.
Jeff Bezos founded Amazon in 1994 because he regretted not investing in the Internet Business boom. Before it was Amazon it was known as Cadabra and Relentless both were considered too sinister or abstract. Amazon was the settled name because he wanted it to sound exotic and different and slowly it became the giant it is today.
Their Current Hold of the Market
Currently, there is no bigger online marketplace than Amazon, and it doesn’t seem like anyone will top Amazon anytime soon. The only other alternative that has similar market share on the internet is eBay, and that has less than half the keyword dominance as Amazon.
The biggest draw of Amazon was to sell books and make the book buying process easier. Through their creation of the Kindle, which only released a few months after the Nook by Barnes and Noble, they absorbed most of the eBook market and made it much easier for independent authors to publish without going through a publishing house.
Next, to streamline their online buying process, you can have two-day guaranteed shipping by having an Amazon Prime account. This has been one of the biggest advantages of Amazon for several years because all other online retailers now have to compete with price and convenience.
Their Products and Consumers
Amazon practices an amazing circuit of cyclical marketing. Everything that Amazon creates for consumers goes back to consumers and Amazon. If you buy their Kindle for their books, you can also have access to Amazon Music and Amazon Prime. This also links to audible.com, the online audiobook market owned by Amazon.
If you have Amazon Prime, you can have access to award winning shows that are produced by Amazon for Amazon as a way to secure people’s investments in Amazon prime.
By owning their products, by watching their shows, by shopping on their online marketplace, Amazon can mine all of this data and use it to get the consumer to use their products more and more. By increasing convenience, price, and deals, Amazon pushes itself harder than any other online company while also rewarding the consumer for their marketability.
Their Future Investments
Amazon had a patent and expressed interest in creating drone warehouses to increase the speed of shipments. In some test locations, you can have your items delivered in as little as two-hours due to this investment.
Amazon has made so many steps forward for eBooks that they have ended up walking in a circle with the release of their Book store that contains printed copies of books only found on Amazon.
Finally, just recently, Amazon purchased Whole Foods in a push to begin taking more of the grocery market. Now not only can you conveniently receive dry foods, canned foods, and other long shelf-life foods for wholesaler prices, you can also get fresh and nutritious food at ideal locations.
No matter where the products come from, two steps must be followed every time: First, the Importer must assume the role of an FSV, next they must follow the ACE system.
FSVP Exempt (FSX) – Food products that are dubbed FSX do not necessarily need to follow the FSVP guidelines. These can be anything from foods that aren’t held to the same standards, to food that is held to higher standards. For example, Cans are sealed and presumably boxed and withheld, with the exemption of damaged goods, canned foods are by default FSVP compliant and would be parsed through a different branch of FSMA for further inspection.
Ships are commissioned for work after they have been rigorously tested and inspected. This can be anything from warships being dubbed battle ready or cargo ships shown to be structurally sound. These tests are known as sea trials and are used to identify deficiencies that would need to be fixed beforehand.
Cargo Reefs – In Texas, it is incredibly common to take old cargo ships and sink them so they may become artificial reefs that sealife can go and live in. The most famous one of these have been known as the Kraken and was featured in a video dubbed ‘Release the Kraken.’
All of those must be strictly adhered to as a foreign manufacturer. But if you are an importer, the main change you must make is to follow an MDR filing.
Performance Standards – How much radiation will be emitted and how efficiently it is capable of doing so.
There was an article recently that showcased the Chief of the Panama Canal reflecting on the previous year after the expansion. Of the points he spoke about, he touched upon the $5.5 billion expansion and the results of the expansion.
The biggest draw of Amazon was to sell books and make the book buying process easier. Through their creation of the Kindle, which only released a few months after the Nook by Barnes and Noble, they absorbed most of the eBook market and made it much easier for independent authors to publish without going through a publishing house.
Amazon had a patent and expressed interest in creating drone warehouses to increase the speed of shipments. In some test locations, you can have your items delivered in as little as two-hours due to this investment.
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