Hogan Lovells US LLP of Washington, D.C., recently met with the staff overseeing facility registration from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) subsequent to the announcement of an extension on the current renewal period under FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act). Following the meeting, Hogan Lovells prepared a memorandum alerting companies of the potential repercussions faced in the event that their FDA facility registrations are not renewed by the January 31st, 2013 deadline. The memorandum, issued on January 14th, also offers guidance for companies that manufacture, process, pack, or hold food for consumption in the United States to ensure that facility registration renewal is completed in a timely manner.

To view the entire memorandum released Monday, click here.

Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued guidance documents concerning food facility registration renewals.  Due to the delay in implementation of biennial registration renewal for the 2012 cycle, FDA plans to exercise enforcement discretion with regards to facility registration renewals submitted after December 31st, 2012, for a period of 31 days, ending January 31st, 2013. Facilities have been encouraged to renew their registrations early.

To review each recently issued facility registration guidance document per the December 12th Center for Food Safety and Nutrition (CFSAN) Constituent Update, click here.