What Prior Notice is
Prior Notice is advance notification to FDA of an incoming food shipment, required under 21 CFR Part 1, Subpart I. It lets FDA target inspections at ports of entry before the shipment physically arrives. Tea follows the identical filing requirement as every other FDA-regulated food.
Timing requirements
| Mode of arrival | Minimum notice before arrival |
|---|---|
| By water | 8 hours |
| By air or rail | 4 hours |
| By road | 2 hours |
The clock starts when FDA confirms your submission for review — not when you hit submit. Build in buffer time, especially near holidays or high-volume shipping windows.
What has to match
- Facility registration number — must match the processing or packing facility's active registration
- FDA product code — must correctly identify the tea type (loose leaf, bagged, extract, blended, matcha)
- Country of origin — accurate growing-region information, especially relevant when a region is under an active import alert
- Intended use — food vs. other declared uses
Import alerts raise the stakes of an accurate filing
FDA periodically issues import alerts targeting specific pesticide compounds or specific growing regions found in routine surveillance. An active import alert doesn't change Prior Notice timing, but a shipment from a listed origin or supplier is more likely to be flagged for sampling once the notice is confirmed — which makes accurate origin and supplier detail on the filing more consequential for tea than for lower-scrutiny commodities.
Frequently asked
When does the Prior Notice clock start for tea shipments?
When FDA confirms the submission for review — not the moment you submit it.
Does an FDA import alert on a growing region affect Prior Notice for tea?
It doesn't change the timing requirement, but shipments from a listed region are more likely to be sampled, so accurate origin and supplier information matters more.