Customs and Cooking

  Whether it is with Customs or with cooking, one always needs support. To think that someone can do it ALL on their own is unrealistic. Let's look at a compliance department. Not a single individual will be available to respond to issues and emergencies 24/7/365. A team is built (whether it is a team of many or of two) to support each other. Vacations are taken. Family responsibilities need to be attended to. Personal health appointments are scheduled. All these "life issues" come up and require one to be away from their desk. Therefore, there is someone to back them up. Even if it is to defer and deflect until such time that the individual is back, there is usually someone to ensure that, at the very least, there is oversight of what is going on and what the best next steps should be. We can also look at back-up from the perspective of tools. Data is backed-up to ensure that if the primary location cannot be accessed, (see Blog post: https://customsandcooking.blogspot.c...

There are many layers and steps to compliance as well as with cooking. What are some of the  layer of  compliance? I venture to say that continuous training is an essential part and  layer of  compliance and consulting within the realm of Customs and global trade. Seasoned compliance experts do not stop their education process in keeping up to date with regulatory changes and policy updates. Staying current is immensely important in order to ensure the applicability of advise and recommendations provided to clients. The layers of different compliance issues grants access to a robust service offering that can have significant benefits from a risk and monetary perspective. Another layer is team work. What do I mean? I tend to say to my clients that I may not have all the answers. But, being a part of an extensive network of experts, I probably know a team member that will be able to provide the feedback. A team is an essential layer with respect to compliance. Trad...

How many times do individuals work on an excel file or word document and not press "save" every five minutes or so only to lose all the data because of an unforeseen power outage? What happened to the documents that were required to be saved for a minimum of 6 years to comply with record keeping purposes? How and where are these documents saved? Instead of requiring banker boxes for storing printed hardcopy shipment invoices and documents, the ability to comply with record keeping requirements has become that much easier through cloud computing and other IT tools available to importers and exporters. Of course there are certain standards to be met when saving documents in methods other than printed hardcopies and to adhere to those standards is not such a difficult task. However, are these record keeping repositories backed-up? Is there a way to ensure that the data and documents can be saved to multiple locations so that if one on-line repository becomes corrupt or inaccessi...

Very recently, I was having dinner with the family and I noticed something that my daughter was doing that reminded me of what I did when I was a young lad. Each item on the plate was kept separate from one another. The veggies could not touch the mashed potatoes and the meatballs were put in a corner of the plate. Then, something else happened... My daughter first ate the veggies. Then she focused on the meatballs. Finally she had some of the mashed potatoes. Nothing was eaten together (except for the ketchup that goes with almost everything). It would seem that many children and even teens prefer to have each item separated and not mixed. Not sure how they would eat a hearty stew. I tend to enjoy the sides first, having some salad and the carbs which then leads to the main event of the protein.  Taste and flavor are not the only preferences when it comes to food. The plating of food and the order in which the foods is eaten is also important. It is also interesting to note the di...

Last time I heard someone shouting "Order In", I was waiting for my take out order. Over the last several months I have shared many recipes. But let it be known that I also very much enjoy ordering out from some great restaurants. The question is what is better? If someone has the talent to prepare a great meal, why bother ordering from a restaurant? I think the same holds true for Customs Compliance. Does a corporation outsource the compliance portion of their supply chain or is it better to establish a robust internal compliance department that can navigate the unique world of Customs Compliance? So let's look at the pros and cons of both... What are the benefits of cooking at home? 1) Control over the various ingredients used. (Quantities of salt can be monitored. Additives for prolonged flavor and freshness are not usually used.) 2) The timeout factor. Stop the constant hustle and bustle and spend some quality time enjoying the cooking experience and maybe even pair i...

Strict legislative timelines set by the Government and administered by Customs regarding accurate declarations of imports and exports must be adhered to so that monetary penalties can be avoided.  Whether it is to initiate a correction on a live shipment declaration or to adhere to a final audit report, an importer usually has 90 days to implement required post entry corrections.  So from a Customs perspective it is not “Better Late than Never” but it is “Never be Late”.  This brings us to a best practice of customs compliance. Being aware of ones supply chain, key data elements and proper processes do not have a specific day in which to fulfill these obligations. It is a constant monitoring of every aspect of the procurement to payment process day in and day out.  I called my dad today (Sunday, June 20) to wish him a Happy Father’s Day. His first response was, “I am a grandfather, so Happy Father’s Day to you!” But truth be told, to me everyday is Father’s Day from ...

I grew up traveling quite often to visit my grandparents. We lived about 6 hours away and although the drive was quite boring, in this case it was not about the journey but about the destination. Upon arrival we would always be greeted with hugs and smiles (no matter what time of night we arrived) and more often than not, there was a huge bowl of grandma's amazing potato salad waiting to be devoured. Here is the recipe that was handed to down to my mom and now to me... - 6 large potatoes - 4 large carrots - 1 can of peas - 3 hard boiled eggs - 5 pickles - salt and pepper to taste - 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise Peel the potatoes and carrots and put in a pot of water. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and allow potatoes and carrots to continue cooking until soft (about 45 minutes). Once ready, drain pot and leave to cool. Dice potatoes and carrots into small cubes and place into a bowl. Drain water from can of peas and add peas to the bowl. Prepare 3 hardboiled eggs. Dice eggs and add to th...