Press release from the FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today issued further information and guidance regarding registration requirements for domestic and foreign manufacturers, processors, packers or holders of food for human or animal consumption based on changes made by the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). The updated food facility registration system will become available at 12:01 a.m. Monday morning, October 22, 2012.

Food producers and manufactures have long been required to register with the Food and Drug Administration. There is no fee to register or renew the registration of a food facility. Facilities can register online, via mail or fax. FDA encourages online registration as a quick and efficient means for food facility registration.
The Food Safety Modernization Act improves the registration process by ensuring, among other things, that the FDA has accurate contact information for each facility. The new registration form also includes new categories of foods. These new categories will help FDA rapidly communicate with the right facilities in the event of an emergency.
Biennial registration renewal will become available at 12:01 a.m. Monday morning, October 22, 2012. To submit a registration renewal to FDA, a food facility is required to submit required registration information to FDA, including the additional registration information described above. To facilitate this process, the agency is offering technical assistance online and through the help desk. Please check FDA’s food facility registration website for more information and to register online.