PHILADELPHIA — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced a partnership with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expand the focus of the Global Business Identifier (GBI) Test.
The expanded test will explore how identifiers − unique numbers that capture information about legal business entities and their functions − can be leveraged to address a range of supply chain traceability needs for government and industry.
“CBP will work jointly with the FDA to explore how identifiers could be leveraged to enable coordination and harmonized decision making across the U.S. government,” said Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner Troy A. Miller. “This could enhance predictability, lower costs, and create the opportunity for additional facilitation benefits for compliant trade.”
In keeping with the initial goals of the GBI Test, CBP will also continue to assess the functionality and effectiveness of identifiers to address data gaps caused by CBP’s Manufacturing/Shipper Identifier (MID) requirement.
“Traceability is key to the FDA’s mission,” said FDA Assistant Commissioner for Import Operations Dan Solis. “It enables us to leverage verifiable information at the supply chain level to identify risk and make admissibility decisions—ensuring the food, medicine, and other FDA-regulated goods entering the United States are safe and get to those who need them as quickly as possible.”
CBP has already taken steps toward expanding the scope of the GBI Test. In February 2024, the agency issued a Federal Register Notice relaying modifications intended to promote participation in the GBI Test, including extending the test for three more years and removing commodity and country of origin limitations on the types of entries permitted to be evaluated under the test. The agency continues to welcome participants who wish to voluntarily transmit GBI data with their entry filings in exchange for the opportunity to share feedback with CBP and inform the ongoing evolution of the GBI Test, including potential benefits for GBI filers.
More information on the GBI Test, including instructions on how to participate, is available on CBP’s GBI Test webpage.
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