FDABridge
FDABridge Blog

Articles for exporters dealing with FDA paperwork

Read practical guides about food registration, MoCRA, drug filings, and the paperwork that comes before your products enter the market.

FDA Stories

FDA Stories #025 β€” EU Safety Gate Shows Why CPNP Notification Is Not Product Approval

Aug 19, 2026

Europe's 2025 Safety Gate data put cosmetics first among dangerous-product alerts, showing why a CPNP notification number never replaces full EU compliance.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #026 β€” A Greek Seafood Processor's Marinated Anchovies Reached FDA's HACCP Detention List

Aug 19, 2026

FDA listed a Greek processor's marinated anchovies and cold-smoked herring for detention after finding serious seafood HACCP deviations.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #027 β€” An Israeli Tahini Recall Exposed a Repeat Salmonella Risk in Sesame Paste

Aug 19, 2026

An eight-illness Salmonella outbreak tied to tahini led to an Israeli producer's recall and became part of a wider FDA review of recurring cases.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #028 β€” A Turkish Pistachio Filling Was Detained for Wheat Hidden Inside Kunefe

Aug 19, 2026

FDA listed Turkish pistachio fillings for detention because the label named kunefe but did not declare wheat contained within the compound ingredient.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #029 β€” An Azerbaijani Pomegranate Product Stayed on FDA's Illegal-Color Detention List

Aug 19, 2026

FDA's current import alert still lists pomegranate puree and juice from an Azerbaijani firm after an unidentified non-permitted red color finding.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #030 β€” A Chilean Swordfish Processor Reached FDA's Seafood HACCP Detention List

Aug 19, 2026

FDA listed frozen, vacuum-packed swordfish from a Chilean processor after finding gaps in hazard identification, critical limits, and monitoring.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #031 β€” Repeated Salmonella Findings Put Mexican Papayas Under a Countrywide FDA Import Alert

Aug 19, 2026

FDA found Salmonella in 15.6% of sampled Mexican papayas in 2011 and used outbreak and sampling evidence to establish a countrywide import alert.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #024 β€” A Chinese Aloe Vera Gel Became an Unapproved Drug Because of Its Claims

Aug 15, 2026

FDA placed a China-made aloe vera gel on an unapproved-drug import alert after its label and website promoted sunburn, antiseptic, acne, and insect-bite uses.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #023 β€” Pakistani Mercury Beauty Creams Landed on FDA's Detention List

Aug 11, 2026

FDA's current cosmetics import alert names multiple Pakistani skin-lightening creams for mercury, allowing detention without physical examination.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories 032: The Skincare Brand That Didn't Report a Reaction

Aug 8, 2026

An illustrative composite scenario shows how one serious skincare reaction, lost in a reseller inbox, can expose an entire missing MoCRA adverse-event program.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #022 β€” One Indonesian Shrimp Detection Triggered Recalls and Import Certification

Aug 7, 2026

A cesium-137 detection linked to Indonesian shrimp led to recalls, an import alert, and FDA's first use of import certification authority for certain foods.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #021 β€” Ecuador's Cinnamon Applesauce Recall Reached Nearly 3 Million Pouches

Aug 3, 2026

FDA traced extreme lead contamination in cinnamon applesauce made in Ecuador to a supplier-control failure, prompting a major recall and warning letter.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #020 β€” An Argentinian Winery Spent $11,000 on Labels Before Discovering the US Requires a Different Format Entirely

Jul 29, 2026

The wine labels were printed. 30,000 bottles. Then the importer told them: US wine labeling is regulated by the TTB, not the FDA β€” and their labels did not comply with either.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #019 β€” A French Perfume House Discovered MoCRA Applied to Them β€” After Their US Launch

Jul 26, 2026

They launched in Saks and Nordstrom. Twelve fragrances. Zero FDA registrations. MoCRA had been in effect for over a year. Nobody in their compliance team knew.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #018 β€” A Nigerian Shea Butter Producer Had Two Facilities But Only One Registration

Jul 22, 2026

The processing facility was registered. The warehouse where finished product was stored before export was not. The warehouse needed its own registration.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #017 β€” A Japanese Matcha Company Was Selling a Dietary Supplement With a Food Label

Jul 18, 2026

The product claimed to 'boost energy and support immune function.' Those are structure/function claims. The product needed a Supplement Facts panel, not a Nutrition Facts panel.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #016 β€” An Egyptian Dates Exporter's Prior Notice Had the Wrong FDA Registration Number

Jul 14, 2026

The Prior Notice listed an FDA registration number that belonged to a different facility in a different city. Every shipment filed with that number was technically invalid.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #015 β€” A UAE Re-Exporter Learned That 'Made in UAE' Was the Wrong Country of Origin

Jul 10, 2026

The product was manufactured in India, shipped to Dubai for repackaging, and exported to the US labeled 'Product of UAE.' That is not how country of origin works.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #014 β€” A Polish Frozen Pierogi Manufacturer Had No Allergen Declaration. At All.

Jul 5, 2026

The pierogis contained wheat, eggs, and milk. The label listed the ingredients. But there was no allergen declaration. Not 'Contains.' Not parenthetical. Nothing.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #013 β€” A Chinese Supplement Factory's Ingredient Was Legal in China but Banned by the FDA

Jun 30, 2026

The dietary supplement contained a botanical ingredient widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. In the United States, it was an unapproved New Dietary Ingredient. The entire shipment was refused.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #012 β€” A Moroccan Argan Oil Exporter Had to Choose: Cosmetic or Food. They Were Selling Both.

Jun 25, 2026

The same bottle of argan oil was being marketed as a cooking oil on one website and a hair treatment on another. The FDA sees those as two completely different products.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #011 β€” A Colombian Coffee Brand Put 'FDA Approved' on Their Website. The FDA Noticed.

Jun 20, 2026

The words 'FDA Approved' appeared on the company's English-language website. The FDA does not approve food products or facilities. Those two words almost cost them the US market.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #010 β€” A Thai Coconut Milk Producer Shipped 12 Containers Without Prior Notice

Jun 15, 2026

The facility was registered. The labels were compliant. But nobody filed Prior Notice for any of the 12 shipments. All 12 could have been refused.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #009 β€” A German Pharmaceutical Company Forgot to Pay Their GDUFA Fee. Registration Suspended.

Jun 10, 2026

The drug establishment registration was active. The product was listed. Then the annual fee invoice went unpaid for 60 days. The FDA put a hold on everything.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #008 β€” A Korean Beauty Brand Listed 22 Products With the FDA. Product #23 Almost Sank Them.

Jun 4, 2026

Twenty-two cosmetic products were registered under MoCRA without issue. The twenty-third contained a color additive that is legal in Korea but banned in the United States.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #007 β€” A Mexican Hot Sauce Maker Needed an FCE Number They Had Never Heard Of

May 28, 2026

The FDA food facility registration was done. The label was ready. Then we asked one question: is your hot sauce acidified? The answer changed everything.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #006 β€” An Indian Spice Exporter Was Detained Because the US Agent Phone Went to Voicemail

May 22, 2026

The FDA called the US Agent number on file. No answer. No callback. The facility was flagged. The shipment was held. All because of a phone that no one picked up.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #005 β€” A Pakistani Rice Mill Paid $2,400 for an FDA Registration That Did Not Exist

May 16, 2026

The certificate looked official. It had an FDA logo, a registration number, and a gold seal. It was completely fake.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #004 β€” A Brazilian Coffee Exporter's DUNS Number Had the Wrong Company Name for Two Years

May 9, 2026

The DUNS record said one name. The FDA registration said another. The export certificate said a third. Every shipment was a ticking clock.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #003 β€” A Turkish Cosmetics Brand Discovered Their Moisturizer Was an Unregistered Drug

May 2, 2026

The SPF 15 claim on their bestselling moisturizer meant it was not a cosmetic in the United States. It was an over-the-counter drug. They had no drug registration.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #002 β€” A Vietnamese Seafood Factory Lost Its Registration and Didn't Know for 14 Months

Apr 24, 2026

The facility had been exporting shrimp to the US for six years. Then a container was detained in Los Angeles. The FDA registration had lapsed β€” and no one told them.

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FDA Stories

FDA Stories #001 β€” A Sicilian Olive Oil Label Was 8 Days from Being Refused at the US Border

Apr 16, 2026

Three generations of olive growing. Award-winning oil. A beautiful label. And three federal labeling violations hiding in plain sight.

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