‘Tis The Season… Reminder on Sending Store-bought Foods(i.e. chocolates, candies, canned goods, wines, etc.) as Gifts to the U.S.
Clients are an integral part of our business and we value all of our customers. In the United States, holiday season may be considered as a gifting season. We, at Flegenheimer International would like our importers to be aware that your shipper or suppliers might send store-bought food items as gifts to the U.S with your commercial shipments. Why would this matter? Because in the past, we have seen commercial shipments that include the following items in the containers: Wine, Toys, Canned Goods, Chocolates, Candies, Gift Baskets, etc. Please keep in mind that various government agencies may have some restrictions on importing these products and hence can further delay your shipments from getting cleared. This can also result in products being refused without appropriate documentation. For example: Wine and Other Alcoholic Beverages- CBP officers could require the importer to obtain an Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) import license (which is required for all commercial and non-commercial importations) before releasing it. It is usually at the discretion of the CBP District Director at the port of entry to make the decision of whether or not a particular importation is, in fact, for personal use only.
Other food products will still need to be declared to Food and Drug Adminisration, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S Fish & Wildlife or National Marine Fisheries Services, which means that all proper certificates, FDA registration numbers, etc. will need to be provided. Even if it is for personal use, it does not necessarily mean it is exempt from the regulation that governs the product.
We strongly recommed to notify Flegenheimer International if your shipper will be sending gift items prior shipping.
Thank you,
Flegenheimer Team
Sources:
https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/717/kw/Item%20Quantity
https://www.ttb.gov/importers/personal_importation.shtml