To what foods do the requirements in this subpart apply?
21 C.F.R. § 1.501
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01(a) General. Except as specified otherwise in this section, the requirements in this subpart apply to all food imported or offered for import into the United States and to the importers of such food.
(b) Exemptions for juice and seafood—(1) Importers of certain juice and seafood products. This subpart does not apply with respect to juice, fish, and fishery products that are imported from a foreign supplier that is required to comply with, and is in compliance with, the requirements in part 120 or part 123 of this chapter. If you import juice or fish and fishery products that are subject to part 120 or part 123, respectively, you must comply with the requirements applicable to importers of those products under § 120.14 or § 123.12 of this chapter, respectively.
(2) Certain importers of juice or seafood raw materials or other ingredients subject to part 120 or part 123 of this chapter. This subpart does not apply with respect to any raw materials or other ingredients that you import and use in manufacturing or processing juice subject to part 120 or fish and fishery products subject to part 123, provided that you are in compliance with the requirements in part 120 or part 123 with respect to the juice or fish or fishery product that you manufacture or process from the imported raw materials or other ingredients.
(c) Exemption for food imported for research or evaluation. This subpart does not apply to food that is imported for research or evaluation use, provided that such food:
(1) Is not intended for retail sale and is not sold or distributed to the public;
(2) Is labeled with the statement “Food for research or evaluation use”;
(3) Is imported in a small quantity that is consistent with a research, analysis, or quality assurance purpose, the food is used only for this purpose, and any unused quantity is properly disposed of; and
(4) Is accompanied, when filing entry with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, by an electronic declaration that the food will be used for research or evaluation purposes and will not be sold or distributed to the public.
(d) Exemption for food imported for personal consumption. This subpart does not apply to food that is imported for personal consumption, provided that such food is not intended for retail sale and is not sold or distributed to the public. Food is imported for personal consumption only if it is purchased or otherwise acquired by a person in a small quantity that is consistent with a non-commercial purpose and is not sold or distributed to the public.
(e) Exemption for alcoholic beverages. (1) This subpart does not apply with respect to alcoholic beverages that are imported from a foreign supplier that is a facility that meets the following two conditions:
(i) Under the Federal Alcohol Administration Act (27 U.S.C. 201 et seq.) or chapter 51 of subtitle E of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 5001 et seq.), the facility is a foreign facility of a type that, if it were a domestic facility, would require obtaining a permit from, registering with, or obtaining approval of a notice or application from the Secretary of the Treasury as a condition of doing business in the United States; and
(ii) Under section 415 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the facility is required to register as a facility because it is engaged in manufacturing/processing one or more alcoholic beverages.
(2) This subpart does not apply with respect to food that is not an alcoholic beverage that is imported from a foreign supplier described in paragraph (e)(1) of this section, provided such food:
(i) Is in prepackaged form that prevents any direct human contact with such food; and
(ii) Constitutes not more than 5 percent of the overall sales of the facility, as determined by the Secretary of the Treasury.
(3) This subpart does not apply with respect to raw materials and other ingredients that are imported for use in alcoholic beverages provided that:
(i) The imported raw materials and other ingredients are used in the manufacturing/processing, packing, or holding of alcoholic beverages;
(ii) Such manufacturing/processing, packing, or holding is performed by the importer;
(iii) The importer is required to register under section 415 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act; and
(iv) The importer is exempt from the regulations in part 117 of this chapter in accordance with § 117.5(i) of this chapter.
(f) Inapplicability to food that is transshipped or imported for processing and export. This subpart does not apply to food:
(1) That is transshipped through the United States to another country and is not sold or distributed to the public in the United States; or
(2) That is imported for processing and future export and that is not sold or distributed to the public in the United States.
(g) Inapplicability to U.S. food returned. This subpart does not apply to food that is manufactured/processed, raised, or grown in the United States, exported, and returned to the United States without further manufacturing/processing in a foreign country.
(h) Inapplicability to certain meat, poultry, and egg products. This subpart does not apply with respect to:
(1) Meat food products that at the time of importation are subject to the requirements of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.);
(2) Poultry products that at the time of importation are subject to the requirements of the USDA under the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.); and
(3) Egg products that at the time of importation are subject to the requirements of the USDA under the Egg Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 1031 et seq.).
Source: eCFRURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-21.xmlFetched: 7/26/2026