Frequently Asked Questions

FISA Lab works with food manufacturers, co-packers, retailers and food brands buying at industrial volumes. We do not sell to consumers, home cooks or students, and we do not supply retail-size quantities.

FISA Lab flavor systems are manufactured in an FSSC 22000 certified, FDA-registered plant in Monterrey, Nuevo León. Qualifying blends enter the United States at a 0% tariff under USMCA.

FISA Lab ships technical samples once the flavor brief is confirmed. Samples ship via FedEx International from Monterrey and are provided at no charge to qualified food manufacturers, including domestic shipping in the United States and Mexico.

Every FISA Lab formulation ships clean label by default with no artificial colors and no MSG in any production run. Clean label is the manufacturing baseline rather than a separate tier and applies to snack, meat, and prepared food systems alike.

FISA Lab systems are manufactured in an FSSC 22000 certified, FDA-registered plant in Monterrey. Qualifying blends enter the United States at a 0% tariff under USMCA. A COA ships with every batch; the spec sheet, allergen statement and similar documents are available on request for your receiving and audit files.

The minimum order is 1 metric ton (2,205 lb) per order.

FISA Lab develops custom flavor profiles from a submitted target sample, a competitor product, or a written brief. Every custom formulation ships clean label. Samples ship once the brief is confirmed.

FISA Lab actively supplies customers in Southern California, Texas, Illinois, Arizona, and Utah, and ships nationally across the United States and Mexico. Qualifying blends enter the United States at a 0% tariff under USMCA.

Qualifying blends manufactured in Mexico and shipped to the United States under USMCA receive a 0% import tariff when preferential origin documentation is provided. This reduces landed cost versus equivalent product sourced from non-USMCA countries.

FISA Lab replicates an existing snack seasoning from a submitted sample of the finished chip or the current bag. The R&D team delivers a clean label match with equivalent flavor intensity and adhesion, which the customer tests on its own line before scale-up.

Removing Red 40 does not alter the flavor compounds, but color drives flavor perception. FISA Lab formulates with natural colorants calibrated to match the visual intensity of the current profile and manages line validation with the buyer through the transition.

FISA Lab formulates topical seasoning systems for tortilla chips, totopos, pork rinds, chicharrones, extruded snacks, pellets, corn chips, popcorn, nuts, and beef jerky. Custom development is available for applications outside the standard portfolio.

FISA Lab recommends applying the sample at the buyer's standard seasoning load rate on the actual production line, matching drum speed, application rate, and process conditions. On-line validation is the only reliable way to evaluate adhesion and intensity performance before scale-up.

FISA Lab systems are manufactured in an FSSC 22000 certified, FDA-registered plant in Monterrey. The approved specification is locked per SKU, covering raw material sourcing, formulation and production protocol. Every batch runs to that specification, and every batch ships with a Certificate of Analysis.

FISA Lab develops each profile independently to the brand's specification and supplies all profiles from a single quality system. One supplier, one Certificate of Analysis format, and one lead time envelope apply across every SKU in the co-packer's portfolio.

FISA Lab supplies a certificate of analysis (COA) with every batch. The spec sheet, allergen statement and similar documents are available on request, and a certificate of origin goes with the blend when it qualifies under USMCA. Documentation format is standardized across every SKU to simplify co-packer receiving and third party audits.

FISA Lab replicates an incumbent supplier's profile from a submitted sample or the current product. The R&D team delivers a clean label match for brand approval, allowing the co-packer to switch suppliers without triggering a reformulation on the brand side.

FISA Lab treats every brand specification as confidential and does not share formulations across clients. Non-disclosure agreements are available on request and are executed prior to receipt of any target sample or proprietary ingredient statement.

Reorders of approved formulations ship on the lead time agreed in the purchase order. FISA Lab recommends placing a reorder at 30 days of remaining inventory to maintain continuous supply through the buyer's production schedule.

FISA Lab standardizes a multi-location carnicería program by developing a single seasoning system, documenting a gram-per-pound application rate, and delivering the same profile batch after batch to every location. Reorders of approved formulations ship on the lead time agreed in the purchase order.

FISA Lab develops Pastor, Birria, Carnitas, Carne Asada, Fajita, and fully custom prepared foods profiles for supermarket hot bars and delis. Development uses the supermarket's existing recipe as a reference and outputs a clean label system with a documented application rate.

FISA Lab manufactures private label seasoning programs under the retailer's brand with no FISA Lab branding on the finished pack. FISA Lab handles formulation and production while the retailer owns the commercial relationship with the end customer.

The minimum order is 1 metric ton (2,205 lb) per order. FISA Lab issues a proposal after reviewing location count and weekly protein volume.

FISA Lab develops regional profiles against culinary references from their origin markets: al pastor from Mexico City, birria from Jalisco, cochinita pibil from Yucatán. Production runs with regional ingredient sourcing, manufactured in an FSSC 22000 certified, FDA-registered plant in Monterrey.

FISA Lab formulates to the buyer's mixing parameters, protein type, temperature envelope, and line-specific process. The output is a formula built for that line rather than a standard formula adapted after the fact, which the customer tests on its own line before scale-up.

FISA Lab supplies Chorizo, Longaniza, specialty sausage systems, marinated and seasoned meats, regional Mexican protein systems, and sauce and dressing bases. Custom development is available for any processed meat application outside the standard portfolio.

FISA Lab ships production line validation samples on a timeline confirmed with the approved specification. FISA Lab recommends testing on the actual production line under real process conditions before committing capital to a first production run.

FISA Lab formulates flavor systems designed to hold profile integrity through repeated freeze-thaw cycles and extended frozen storage. Shelf life validation and stability data are available on request per SKU and support the buyer's IQF and retail freezer programs.

FISA Lab issues a standardized Certificate of Analysis that includes ingredient declaration, allergen statement, microbiological results, and physical parameters. The document is available in English and Spanish and uses the same format across every FISA Lab SKU.

FISA Lab supplies the food manufacturers that produce ready-to-heat proteins for c-store food programs. C-store operators without a current protein partner can request an introduction to a qualified FISA Lab customer, or FISA Lab will engage the operator's existing supplier.

FISA Lab data across c-store RTH programs identifies Pastor CDMX, Birria Jalisco, Carnitas, and Carne Asada as the top-performing profiles by turn rate. All four are in the FISA Lab standard portfolio and ship clean label with no artificial colors and no MSG.

FISA Lab locates the consistency in the seasoning system rather than in the c-store kitchen. FISA Lab supplies the same profile to the protein manufacturer in every batch, so the RTH protein arrives at location 1 and location 500 with an identical flavor foundation.

FISA Lab does not guarantee c-store margins because they depend on the operator's price structure and cost base. NACS 2024 industry data reports c-store foodservice at 28.7% of in-store revenue and 39.6% of gross profit, with operators citing Mexican protein programs among the highest-margin categories.

FISA Lab does. FISA Lab formulates clean label Mexican seasoning systems; production runs in an FSSC 22000 certified, FDA-registered plant in Monterrey, with no artificial colors and no MSG by default. Systems are manufactured in an FSSC 22000 certified, FDA-registered plant in Monterrey, and shipments reach US manufacturers duty free under USMCA.

FISA Lab manufactures private label Tex-Mex and Mexican seasoning in Monterrey, Mexico, under your brand and your formula. Development starts from a brief or a target sample, and the minimum order is 1 metric ton (2,205 lb) per order.

Yes, qualifying seasoning blends classified under HS 2103.90 ship at a 0% tariff under USMCA when a certificate of origin accompanies the entry. FISA Lab ships from Monterrey and supplies that certificate of origin when the blend qualifies, with a COA with every batch.

Yes. FISA Lab imports international food brands into the United States, reviews label and ingredient statements against US federal rules and retailer ingredient standards, reformulates, with production in an FSSC 22000 certified, FDA-registered plant in Monterrey, when an ingredient blocks a listing, and sells and services the product with US retail and foodservice accounts.

US distribution for international food brands

FISA Lab supplies chile lime seasoning systems to snack manufacturers running tortilla chips, pork rinds, extruded snacks, nuts, and popcorn. The system is built for topical adhesion on high speed lines, ships without artificial colors or MSG, and has a minimum order of 1 metric ton (2,205 lb) per order.