FDA registration scares many Estonian food producers away from exporting. Needlessly: the process is manageable if you do it in the right order.
Exporting food to the U.S. requires three basic things: FDA registration of the manufacturing facility, an official representative located in the U.S. (a U.S. agent), and compliant labeling. For most products a food safety plan requirement is added, which largely overlaps with what an Estonian producer already does under HACCP.
The registration itself is free and can be done online. The complexity is not in the individual steps, but in the fact that they must be done in the right order and precisely in English.
U.S. food labeling differs from Europe's: nutritional information is in a different format, the allergen list has its own rules and the units of measure are different. Redoing the label is a one-time cost, but the wrong label means the goods sit in the warehouse, not on the shelf.
The good news: clean Nordic food is a strong sales story in the U.S. Rye bread, berry products, fish products and confectionery move steadily from Europe to the U.S., and the customs records show this too.
In the launch package we cover the FDA process together with a labeling check and help find an importer with experience in your product group. In food the right partner is especially important, because they know the state-level retail chains. We start by assessing your product's suitability, which is free.
The first consultation is free: together we'll see who in the US already buys your product and how to reach them.