The agency said it is encouraging facilities to meet the formal Dec. 31 deadline, but that it will exercise “enforcement discretion” for re-registrations received by Jan. 31, 2013. The agency said it is making this extension available in acknowledgement of the fact that it was not ready to accept re-registration applications at the beginning of October as originally stipulated. FDA did not begin processing the re-registrations until Oct. 22.
FDA issued updated guidance documents on Dec. 12 concerning the implementation of the re-registration process. They are Guidance for Industry: Questions and Answers Regarding Food Facility Registration (Fifth Edition) and Guidance for Industry: What You Need to Know About the Registration of Food Facilities – Small Entity Compliance Guide.