Taiwan Food and Drug Authority Wants Seafood Exporters to Be Vetted

The Taiwan Food and Drug Authority (TFDA) is requiring companies that export seafood products for human consumption into Taiwan to be on TFDA’s list of approved establishments, according to an emailed FDA news release June 3.

TFDA implemented this requirement, effective immediately, to ensure that imports of seafood products into Taiwan come from establishments vetted by the government authorities of the exporter’s home country. This means that U.S. companies wanting to export seafood products to Taiwan must be found to comply with the applicable food safety requirements of the U.S. FDA to get on TFDA’s list of approved establishments.

The FDA says it provides establishments with export certification in its Export Listing Module to facilitate companies’ ability to get on TFDA’s approved establishments list.

“The FDA will maintain a list of establishments that have expressed interest in exporting seafood to Taiwan and that we have found to be in compliance with applicable U.S. requirements, and we expect to send an initial list of such firms to TFDA in July 2024,” the FDA said in its June 3 announcement. “Establishments that wish to be included in the initial list should request to be added to the lists through June 30, 2024, using the ELM. Going forward, the FDA will send updates to these lists on a quarterly basis as described on the Food Export Lists webpage.”

FDA directed establishments to contact the Export Certification Team at CFSANExportCertification@fda.hhs.gov for any additional questions about the ELM.