What US import compliance involves
Rice entering the United States is regulated primarily by the FDA and US Customs and Border Protection. In practice, three things need to line up before a container clears US customs:
- Prior Notice — the FDA requires advance electronic notice of any food shipment before it arrives, filed by the importer or their customs broker.
- Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) — under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, the US importer of record is required to verify that their foreign supplier (us) meets US food safety standards. We provide the documentation our buyers' FSVP importers need to support this.
- Customs entry — rice is classified under HS heading 1006, and a licensed US customs broker typically handles formal entry, duty calculation and any FDA hold review at the port of arrival.
Labelling
Retail-bound rice needs a US-format Nutrition Facts panel, net weight in both metric and US customary units, and an ingredient/country-of-origin declaration. For private-label programmes, we work to your label specification and can support the FSVP documentation your compliance team needs to have on file before the shipment departs.
Who typically buys from us in the US
Our outreach in the US market has focused on South Asian grocery chains and distributors, foodservice suppliers, and private-label retail buyers looking for a direct-from-source alternative to buying through a domestic trading house.
Getting started
Tell us your variety, processing, pack format and delivery port (commonly a US East or Gulf Coast port for India-origin cargo) and we'll put together a specification and FOB/CIF offer for your review.