Consumer palates are constantly changing. Today, there's a growing appetite for imported food products. As consumers look for tropical foods, diverse spices, and gourmet products, 15% of the United States food supply comes from abroad. Grocery chains and supermarkets that keep up with this trend succeed. They increase their market share and stand out from the tough competition.
Yet, importing food into the United States has its challenges. Local and federal regulations, varying international quality standards, and foreign partnerships all complicate the flow of goods onto your shelves.
Understanding what you're up against is the first step toward seizing the lucrative opportunities of carrying imported food products. To help you get there, we're covering the biggest challenges corporate buyers, category managers, and procurement specialists can expect — while exploring possible solutions.
1. Navigating Extensive Regulations and Standards
The most obvious challenge is bureaucracy. Food entering the United States must comply with food safety and environmental rules. At the federal level, policing food is the responsibility of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). States and municipalities can also set additional rules that may be stricter.
Additionally, there are standards for different product categories. If you're importing seafood, low-acid canned goods, and fresh produce, you'll have to follow three sets of rules.
As a result, procurement specialists and corporate buyers must wade through complex (and often confusing) regulations and standards. Mistakes can result in authorities seizing and destroying the shipment, so the stakes are high.
2. Finding Reliable Compliant Foreign Partners
Foreign producers are also subject to food import rules. They must register with the FDA every two years, offer English-language labels, and follow food allergy labeling laws.
However, that doesn't take away responsibilities from importers. According to the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), importers must verify that their foreign suppliers adhere to all the regulations.
Thus, procurement specialists and corporate buyers must carefully vet their partners. This involves a lot of back-and-forth communication because food facility registration is confidential and unavailable to the public.
3. Unexpected Delivery Timelines
There's no cutting corners here. Not following all those rules and regulations can significantly delay deliveries. For example, FDA and CBP officials can pull shipments aside at ports of entry for further inspection. During the busiest times of the year, the shipment may not be cleared for weeks.
No importer wants to deal with that costly headache. To prevent it, make sure to submit a Prior Notice to the FDA, fill out the required entry data, and provide an Affirmation of Compliance code.
Offering accurate information makes it more likely that your import shipment will be processed electronically and skip manual review. This drastically reduces delays.
4. Keeping Food Fresh and Safe in Transit
Ensuring food quality through transit is always a top priority for grocery chains and supermarkets, but keeping imported food fresh and safe comes with extra challenges. Even when products flow through the border without a hiccup, domestic and international weather and geopolitical events can delay deliveries.
Food import professionals must account for these delays. Possible solutions include using modern refrigeration equipment, opting for produce varieties bred to withstand long-distance travel, and communicating quality standards to suppliers.
5. Managing Inventory Efficiently
With all those challenges, managing inventory becomes even more critical. After all, there are a lot of resources invested into each SKU. Ordering too little may not yield the results outlined in the go-to-market strategy. Ordering too much due to a high minimum order quantity (MOQ) leaves retailers with products that don't move, which is costly.
Corporate buyers, category managers, and procurement specialists are used to dealing with this. But gauging how much to order can be especially tough if you're introducing novel products to consumers.
Following trends and analyzing local consumer data helps paint a clearer picture. Implementing a feedback loop, where you use customer feedback to manage stock strategically, is also a good idea.
This is a challenge Vilore Foods can help you solve. Our decades-long expertise and data mining system will give you insights into category shopper preferences, drilled-down purchasing information, and sales performance statistics on demographic trends. You can then make data-driven decisions confidently.
Make Imported Food Products Your Tool for Success
Whether you're bringing a new trendy ethnic product to your shelves or looking to widen your margins on a best-selling product category, Vilore Foods is here to help. We're by your side throughout the entire food import process — from the stock planning stage to timely 100% FDA-compliant deliveries.
Ready to seize all the lucrative perks of diversifying your shelves without the challenges? Connect with an expert today.