Regulations & Requirements

In addition to helping U.S. exporters navigate an array of regulations governing trade in food and agricultural products, FAS works to ensure that those regulations are predictable, transparent, and science-based.

FAIRS Reports

FAS's international offices publish Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards (FAIRS) reports and exporter guides for the countries they cover. Copies of these reports can be found on the individual country pages of the FAS website as well as by searching the Global Agriculture Information Network (GAIN) database.

Regulatory Changes by WTO Members

The governments of World Trade Organization (WTO) member countries notify the WTO about changes in their domestic regulations that could impact international trade in food and agricultural products. Under WTO rules, other WTO member countries have the opportunity to evaluate these regulatory changes to determine whether they might pose sanitary/phytosanitary (SPS) concerns or technical barriers to trade (TBT). FAS maintains an online system to inform the U.S. agricultural industry regarding changes in international food and agriculture regulations that could affect U.S. exports.

Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) Database

FAS provides access to a database that lists maximum acceptable levels of pesticides and veterinary drugs in food and agricultural products in the United States, as well as 70 other countries, the European Union, and the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

Regulatory Information from Other Agencies

Additional information about regulations and requirements governing agricultural exports and imports is available from other USDA agencies and state departments of agriculture. 

  • Individual state's agriculture departments provide points of contact who issue export certification documents such as Certificates of Free Sale.

Data and Analysis

Comments on India's revised measure on metal contaminants, toxins and residues are due by February 10 as notified to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
On January 29, 2025, the Israeli Ministry of Justice and the Israeli Ministry of Health published a request for public comments for the application of changes to the Annex of European Union Directive 2023/915.
Argentina has reformed its food import and export regulations. The new rules allow food imported from countries with “high sanitary standards”, including the US, to enter with minimal paperwork. Also, exports from Argentina now only need to meet the requirements of destination countries rather than Argentine domestic regulations.

News and Features

For almost 50 years, Bangladesh required U.S. cotton be fumigated because of concerns about the boll weevil. Collaboration between USDA agencies and the Bangladesh Ministry of Agriculture resulted in amended import requirements, exempting the United States from the list of countries required to fumigate cotton upon arrival.
Washington, DC – The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today issued a report highlighting the progress made to date in implementing the agricultural provisions in the U.S.-China Phase One...
Contact: press@oc.usda.gov WASHINGTON, June 24, 2020 – Today, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and FDA Commissioner Stephen M. Hahn, M.D., issued the following statement regarding food export restrictions pertaining to COVID-19: “The United...