Shipping consumable products (like food or medication) across the border from Canada to the U.S.? No worries.
When shipping consumable products from Canada to the U.S., you need to comply with the regulations of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), who make sure these products are safe for consumers.
There’s a few things you need to do to make sure it’s a smooth (and safe) journey for your parcel:
- Submit a Prior Notice to the FDA (Not sure how to do this? Check out our step by step guide here.)
- Get the confirmation number back from the FDA (before shipping).
- Attach the FDA prior notice to the parcel and ensure that it has the customs declaration confirmation number on it.
Make sure what you’re sending is on the FDA list
Because you need to submit a Prior Notice to the FDA before shipping your parcel, you need to make sure what you’re sending is actually classified by them as 'consumables'.
However, even if it’s classified as consumable by the FDA, it doesn’t mean it can always be sent with Sendle. It’s a good idea to check out our guidelines on what you can’t send with us (if you need a refresher)!
The FDA regulates different types of consumables, including:
- Food and drinks – Anything you eat or drink (including chewing gum and pet foods).
- Dietary supplements – Vitamins, minerals, and herbal supplements.
- Medications – Prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
- Biologics – Things like vaccines and blood products.
- Medical foods – Specially made for people with certain health conditions.
- Oral cosmetics – Products like toothpaste or mouthwash that you don’t swallow but still go in your mouth.
If you're sending food, this pretty much means any of the following:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Fish and seafood
- Dairy products
- Eggs
- Raw agricultural commodities for use as food or as components of food
- Animal feed (including pet food)
- Food and feed ingredients
- Food and feed additives
- Dietary supplements and dietary ingredients
- Infant formula
- Bakery goods
- Snack foods
- Candy
- Canned foods
Check out the full list of regulated items on the FDA website and don’t forget to compare it with Sendle’s guidelines on what you can’t Sendle.