Norfolk CBP officers extinguish counterfeit restaurant kitchen equipment destined to Chicago

NORFOLK, Virginia – One of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s trade enforcement priorities is to ensure that all imports are lawful and safe for consumers. It is a significant responsibility. CBP exercised that responsibility recently when officers seized about $38,000 in commercial kitchen equipment after detecting a counterfeit UL mark.

CBP officers at the Area Port of Norfolk-Newport News initially inspected the commercial stainless steel kitchen equipment on July 30. The shipment consisted of a charcoal chicken grill and a charcoal kabob grill, a falafel fryer, a pizza oven, three shawarma 5-burner gas grills, and a rotisserie chicken grill. The equipment was being shipped from Jordan to an address in a Chicago suburb.

During the import inspection, CBP officers observed that the manufacturers product plates did not possess UL certification file numbers as required by law. An authentic UL mark certifies that the kitchen equipment meets minimum standards for use and consumer safety.

CBP officers suspected that the UL marking was counterfeit and detained the shipment.

CBP officers submitted documentation and photographs to CBP’s trade experts at the Consumer Products and Mass Merchandising Center of Excellence and Expertise (CEE) for analysis. CBP’s trade experts worked with the UL brand protection experts and verified that the UL design mark was unauthorized, and the kitchen equipment was subject to seizure pursuant to CBP’s statutory and regulatory authorities.

CBP officers seized the kitchen equipment on August 25.

The international trade in counterfeit consumer goods is illegal. It threatens the health and safety of American consumers, steals revenues from trademark holders and tax revenues from the government, and it funds transnational criminal organizations.

Counterfeiters manufacture consumer goods using substandard materials and parts that could prematurely break or harm consumers. Counterfeit consumer goods may also be sourced or manufactured in facilities that employ forced labor.

“Counterfeit consumer goods pose a serious health and safety threat to consumers who use them, but potentially substandard counterfeit kitchen equipment in a restaurant setting poses an even greater and broader risk to diners and employees alike,” said Keri Brady, CBP’s Acting Area Port Director for the Area Port of Norfolk-Newport News. “Customs and Border Protection officers and specialists take extraordinary pride in our import enforcement mission because we know that we could be the difference in helping keep consumers safe.”

CBP urges consumers to protect their families by purchasing authentic consumer products from reputable retailers.

For more information about the consequences and dangers often associated with the purchase of counterfeit goods visit the Truth Behind Counterfeits public awareness campaign website at CBP’s Fake Goods Real Dangers webpage.

CBP protects businesses and consumers every day through an aggressive Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) enforcement program. During fiscal year 2024, CBP seized over 32,000,000 counterfeit goods with an estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price worth over $5.4 billion, had the goods been genuine.

News media can search for additional enforcement details by viewing CBP’s IPR webpage or by viewing CBP’s IPR Dashboard and CBP’s Annual IPR Seizures Reports.

U.S. trademark and copyright owners can register with CBP to have their intellectual property protected at the border through the through the e-Recordation program (https://iprr.cbp.gov/s/).

CBP encourages anyone with information about counterfeit merchandise being illegally imported into the United States to submit an anonymous tip to CBP’s e-Allegation Program.

CBP's border security mission is led at our nation’s Ports of Entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the Office of Field Operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo and searches for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, invasive weeds and pests, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality.

See what CBP accomplished during "A Typical Day" in 2024. Learn more at www.CBP.gov.

Follow the Director of CBP’s Baltimore Field Office on Twitter at @DFOBaltimore for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos, and CBP’s Office of Field Operations on Instagram at @cbpfieldops.