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  6. Time Saving Tips for the Prior Notice System Interface (PNSI)
  1. Importing Food Products into the United States

Time Saving Tips for the Prior Notice System Interface (PNSI)

Screens, descriptions, and examples are subject to change as enhancements are made to the system. They are not intended to take the place of the written regulations found in the Final Rule (Nov. 7, 2008).

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Although FDA encourages the transmission of Prior Notice data via ABI/ACE, it is understood that certain situations may arise that necessitate the use of the web-based Prior Notice System Interface, or PNSI, for Prior Notice submissions. In those circumstances, the following features are available to expedite the submission process.

Copying a Web Entry

Whether a shipment contains one or many items that require Prior Notice, the basic shipping information is described in the Web Entry portion. The Copy Web Entry feature saves users time by creating a duplicate Web Entry from any existing Web Entry that is found on the View Web Entry page. Once a copy is made, a new Entry Identifier must be entered manually or the system will generate a new identifier. After this, any of the shipment information except for the new entry identifier and the entry type can be edited before the Web Entry is submitted.

For example, consider that the same products are to be shipped on different days using the same carrier. Rather than re-entering the shipment information each time, simply copy the original Web Entry and edit any shipping elements that are different.

Complete instructions on copying Web Entries can be found in the Prior Notice for Food Articles Additional Capabilities.

Copying a Prior Notice

If the Web Entry has two or more similar products, the Copy Prior Notice feature also may save time. Once a Prior Notice has been saved for a specific item, a copy of the Prior Notice can be created from the "Prior Notice: Article" page. The system will create a new Prior Notice with a new article number. Then, any information about the product, quantity or Related Facilities can be changed except the article number.

For example, if a shipment contains the same product packaged in different sized containers, such as canned corn in 8 oz and 16 oz cans, start by creating a Prior Notice for one size of the cans (e.g., 8 oz cans). Then, copy the Prior Notice and edit the Quantity and Packaging information to reflect the larger, 16 oz cans prior to submission of the Web Entry.

Super Timesaver: Prior Notices also can be copied at the same time as the Web Entry by selecting the Copy Associated Prior Notices checkbox located on the Copy Web Entry page.

Complete instructions on copying Prior Notices can be found in the Prior Notice for Food Articles Additional Capabilities.

Related Facilities Shortcuts

In some cases, a facility or firm may play multiple roles in the supply chain sequence, such as both Shipper and Manufacturer. Or, it may play the same role in multiple Prior Notices contained in one Web Entry. Two shortcuts are available in the Related Facilities screens to assist in the copying of facility information.

Facility Same As - If the name and address of one shipping entity or facility (such as the Owner) is the same as the name and address of another facility that was entered previously (such as the Ultimate Consignee), select the Facility Same As feature to copy the information.

For example, if the shipper is the same as the manufacturer, first click on "Shipper same Facility as," then select Manufacturer from the drop-down list and press the Save button. On the Related Facilities page, the phrase "Shipper same as Manufacturer" will appear.

Default Facility - If a Manufacturer, Shipper, Owner or Ultimate Consignee occupies the same role in several Prior Notices in the Web Entry, the facility for each role can be entered once and then selected as the Default Facility for the same roles on the remaining Prior Notices.

For example, if the shipment has several different products going to the same Ultimate Consignee, enter the Ultimate Consignee name and address for the first product and then select Yes from the drop-down list in response to the question "Should this Facility be the default Ultimate Consignee for new Prior Notices for this Web Entry?" at the bottom of the page. The Ultimate Consignee information will automatically appear in all subsequent Prior Notices in this Web Entry.

 
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