In a previous blog post, we mentioned how difficult is to register wines with the Philippines Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For a long period of time, the Philippines FDA did not agree that a different wine vintage could be the exact same product. Therefore, FDA would require a new product registration according to the vintage/year mentioned in the packaging.
As a result, wine importers in the country have always encountered difficulties in providing the documentation required by the FDA and incurred in unbearable costs. This policy kept foreign investors away and did not leave room for SME’s operating in this sector to expand.
Now, the great news. In a recent circular, the FDA finally approved a product registration regardless of the vintage. All distributors and importers can now register and import different vintages of wines, for as long as an initial product registration has been secured. this only applies for situations when the wine has not been reformulated and the only difference between two products remains the vintage, aroma, taste and/or alcohol content.
However, for purpose of verification and monitoring, when any new vintage comes into the country, all owner of wines certificate of product registration (CPR) are required to submit the following documents:
- Notification letter from the company
- Notarized affidavit of Undertaking that the changes on the label are only vintage, aroma, taste and/or alcohol content.
- Copy of labels reflecting the new vintage or any other difference mentioned
This new regulation clearly simplifies the process of wine importation in the Philippines; however this does not change the procedure and timeline involved in the initial process of product registration.
If you are a wine importer and you are looking to either register your products or to establish a business as a wine trader, Triple i Consulting has the expertise to put you on the right track. Do not hesitate to contact us and one of your business consultants will assist you.
