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What Is FSVP for Imported Spices?

The Foreign Supplier Verification Program puts the duty on the US importer to verify that foreign spice suppliers meet US safety standards.

What is FSVP?

FSVP is the FDA Foreign Supplier Verification Program. It places the legal duty on the US importer to verify that each foreign supplier produces spice to US safety standards, through hazard analysis, supplier verification and records.

Where the duty sits

FSVP is an importer obligation, not an exporter one. The US importer of record must show it has evaluated the hazards in the spice, verified that the foreign supplier controls them, and kept records to prove it. The FDA can ask for those records.

That makes supplier selection and documentation the importer's core task. It pairs with Prior Notice, the per-shipment advance filing, and with HTS duty of 0-3% on spice headings 0904-0910.

What it means in practice for spice

  • Identify hazards: for spice these include Salmonella, aflatoxin and pesticide residues.
  • Verify the supplier: evidence the supplier controls those hazards, often through testing and audits.
  • Keep records: a documented dossier the FDA can review.
  • It matters more now: FDA spice refusals on Salmonella grounds rose across 2024-25.

Frequently asked

Can the exporter take on FSVP for me?

No. FSVP is a legal duty on the US importer. A good supplier and a sourcing desk can supply the verification evidence, but the compliance obligation stays with the importer.

Sourcing this? Tell us the spice, grade and destination and we return a documented offer — vetted supply, QC oversight, and the test dossier your market needs.

Start a sourcing enquiry →

What this page does not tell you

Qualified-importer exemptions
FSVP has modified requirements for certain importer and supplier categories; those thresholds are not detailed here and should be checked against FDA rules.

Reviewed 16 July 2026.

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