According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), beginning July 24, 2022, the use of “UNK” (Unknown) will no longer be allowed in lieu of a DUNS number for food imports covered by the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP). Use of the “UNK” was temporarily allowed when the FSVP requirements were first implemented to give importers time to adjust to the new requirements. However, food importers will now be required to provide a valid, 9-digit DUNS number in the Entity Number field for each line entry of food.
For more information on DUNS and FSVP, see FDA’s Updated Guidance on Compliance and Date for Providing an Acceptable Unique Facility Identifier (DUNS number) for the Foreign Supplier Verification Programs. Companies who import food should review their imports to evaluate whether action needs to be taken for entries that still use the “UNK” code.
Furthermore, food facilities registered with the FDA are required to have a DUNS number with an associated address that matches that of the food facility. The match must be exact (example: Street does not equal St). Failure to update a registration with a valid DUNS with a matching address by the end of the next biennial registration renewal cycle on December 31, 2022, will result in the cancellation of the registration.