Food safety investigation policy

Note: We may conduct a food safety investigation when we become aware of a food safety issue such as, for example, when we receive a report from a customer. If you list products for sale on our store, you must comply with all local laws, regulations, and our policies applicable to those products and product listings.

On this page, you will find:

Food safety investigation policy
Food safety investigation
What happens when you do not follow food safety investigation policy?
When your ASIN Offer is suppressed due to a food safety investigation
How will I know if my offer is suppressed due to a recall or food safety investigation?
How can I get my ASIN reinstated?
What if my case has been closed?
How do I request inventory removal from Amazon Fulfillment centers?

Food safety investigation policy

We prioritize customer safety first and foremost in our Food Safety Investigation. We do not allow Selling Partners to list products with safety issues. Selling Partners are responsible for ensuring that their products are safe and in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and standards/practices. We expect and require, as per Amazon’s policy, that Selling Partners supply us with safe foods.

Food safety investigation

Food safety investigation is a series of activities we undertake to protect our customer safety. Such food safety investigations may arise because of an injury/illness, allergic reaction, misleading/mislabeling, product tampering, or pest infestation. In order to prevent or minimize the spread of safety risks, we may temporarily suspend your products from selling on our store during the food safety investigation.

What happens when I do not follow food safety investigation policy?

The privilege of selling products at Amazon may be suspended, if any of the following occurs:

We are unable to confirm food safety through the appeal/documents you have submitted.
You have failed to submit the required documents and/or respond to the investigation questionnaire

What happens when my ASIN Offer is suppressed due to a food safety investigation

We will send you an email notification with a description of the issue and the reason why your ASIN Offer has been suppressed. We also provide information in the notification for listing reinstatement, what documents should be submitted (if any), and the next steps to take. The subject title of the email will be formatted as Customer Complaint – Food Safety. If you are unable to locate the email, ensure that your primary email address is updated on Seller Central and reach out to Selling Partner Support for more assistance. You are required to submit a response with information within 7 Days. If you need more time to respond to the case, you can request it by replying to the email or on the Case Log in Seller Central

How will I know if my offer is suppressed due to a recall or food safety investigation?

If your listing has been suppressed due to a food safety investigation, the Amazon Food Safety team will send you a notification with a description of the issue, and the next steps to follow. The Fix Stranded Inventory page in Seller Central also displays a reason code (in this instance FOOD_SAFETY) for all stranded inventory.

What are my responsibilities as an Amazon Selling Partner during the food safety investigation?

Your responsibility is to provide correct information and documents during a food safety investigation. You may need to ask for cooperation from the manufacturer or importer to provide information as needed.

How can I reinstate my ASIN Offer?

To successfully reinstate ASIN Offers impacted by a food safety investigation, we may require documents to prove the safety and compliance of the product. Use the link provided in the e-mail notification with the subject title Customer Complaint – Food Safety to upload the requisite documents. It is important to provide the requested documentation within 7 days. If necessary, consult with the manufacturer or importer of the product that you are selling by referring to the issue. If you require more time, please respond to the case in the Case Log in Seller Central or respond to the email. Additionally, you are required to complete the food safety investigation questionnaire submitted to you via email.

What if my case has been closed due to no response or if Amazon deems the response insufficient?

A case will be closed if: a) you fail to respond within 7 days of receiving the email or, b) the response provided by you was insufficient. In these instances, please create a case at Seller Support and ensure that you provide the necessary information requested in the email with subject title Customer Complaint – Food Safety in the new case. A Seller Support associate will reach out to the food safety team for further review.

What happens once my ASIN Offer is reinstated?

When the ASIN Offer is reinstated, a selling partner is required to manually activate the listing in Seller Central in order to continue selling.

What happens if my offer is not reinstated?

If you have FBA inventory associated with your listings, it will be stranded and subject to required removals if the ASINs are not reinstated within 30 days.

Note: In spite of extension of investigation resolution, the required removals of 30 days will still be applicable. To avoid this, please appeal and provide documentations at the earliest opportunity. For details on when your units are scheduled for automatic removal visit Fix stranded inventory.

Note: Ensure that removal/disposal orders are successfully executed. Failure to do so will result in disposal of units, which can be subject to FBA fees.

How do I request inventory removal from Amazon Fulfillment centers?

If you are unable or unwilling to appeal the suppression on your ASIN, you have 30 days to create removal orders on your products from our fulfillment centers.

Please visit the following help pages for more information:

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