Plastic bottles that will contact food or beverages must comply with FDA food-contact regulations under 21 CFR, which govern resin types, colorants, and recycled content. Importers should obtain a food-contact compliance statement from the foreign manufacturer and retain documentation confirming that the specific resin formulation is approved for the intended food-contact application.

Empty plastic bottles have a very high volume-to-weight ratio, meaning ocean freight containers fill by cubic space well before reaching weight limits. This makes the per-unit freight cost for standard bottles high relative to their value, giving domestic or near-shore producers a structural cost advantage. Specialty bottles with complex tooling, multi-layer barrier films, or proprietary mold designs are less sensitive to this dynamic because their higher unit value absorbs freight cost more readily.