Like everywhere in the world, registration of products is a mandatory process for every company willing to import, produce, trade or distribute wine in the Philippines. The main objectives of the FDA Philippines is to protect the health of consumers by ensuring the safety and best quality of products related to food, food supplement, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices as well as to regulate and control their manufacture, sale, distribution and advertisement.
There are standard requirements freely provided by the FDA to assist in the registration of any product but some specific requirements must be adjusted for some particular products, such as wine. On every bottle of wine, the specific year of production has been denoted on the label (Bordeaux 1995, Chateau de … 1998, etc…). This is definitely a marketing aspect that all wine traders and experts cannot remove as it refers to the identity and value of each and every bottle.
For the FDA, every bottle produced in a different year refers to a totally separate product, a Bordeaux 1995 will be considered a different product than a Bordeaux 1996 and an importer will not be able to import the Bordeaux 1996 without a new Certificate of Product Registration. How to register a bottle of wine every year if there is a minimum registration process of 4-5 months?
As long as the technical formulation and certificate of analysis are true and correct, not mentioning the specific year on the application form, you will be allowed you to register one label of wine without any issue considering the year of production. Note that, wines can be registered for a period of 2 to 5 years upon first application and renewable once the Certificate of Product Registration expires.
If you are an importer of wine and you need assistance in registering your labels and products, Triple I consulting is headed by one of the most experienced FDA consultants in the country and we are able to provide our clients with one of the fastest and most efficient registration process in the country for all FDA regulated products and regulatory approvals.
