Preventive Trade Compliance Strategies for Reducing FDA Import Refusals and Strengthening Supply Chain Resilience in U.S. Food Imports: A Critical Integrative Review and Documentary Analysis
Carina Gonçalves Martins, CMILT
ORCID: 0009-0006-0480-9335
Email: carinagomartins@gmail.com
Abstract
International food supply chains face increasing regulatory complexity and operational risk, particularly in the United States, where FDA requirements can result in import refusals and supply chain disruptions. This article presents a critical integrative review supported by regulatory and documentary analysis examining how preventive trade compliance can reduce FDA import refusals while strengthening supply chain resilience. Based on scientific literature and official regulatory sources, the study proposes the Preventive Trade Compliance Framework (PTCF), an integrated managerial framework organized around five dimensions: Regulatory Intelligence, Supplier Governance, Documentation Integrity, Preventive Risk Assessment, and Continuous Improvement. The framework integrates fragmented compliance activities into a preventive supply chain perspective, supporting the identification and mitigation of compliance risks before shipment. By positioning regulatory preparedness as a strategic organizational capability, the PTCF provides a conceptual foundation for improving operational resilience and future empirical research on the relationship between preventive trade compliance and supply chain performance.
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