To export Korean organic green tea powder to the USA, you must meet two separate sets of rules: FDA food-safety rules and USDA organic-label rules. The FDA side covers food facility registration, prior notice for each shipment, and your U.S. buyer's Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) duties. The USDA side, handled under the US-Korea organic equivalence arrangement, decides whether you can call the product "organic" on the U.S. label.
Two Tracks: FDA Food Safety vs. USDA Organic
A common mistake Korean exporters make is treating "FDA" and "organic" as one process. They are two tracks that run in parallel, and you can clear one without clearing the other.
The first track is food safety. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), imported food must meet the same U.S. laws as food made inside the United States and is subject to FDA inspection at U.S. ports of entry. FDA may refuse admission to any food that appears to violate the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) — for example, food that appears adulterated or misbranded. This authority comes from section 801 of the FD&C Act.
The second track is the organic label. The word "organic" on a U.S. retail package is controlled by the USDA National Organic Program, not by FDA. You can have a fully FDA-compliant shipment that still cannot legally say "organic" on the U.S. label if you skip the USDA steps.
The sections below cover the FDA certification path first, then the documents you need, then timing, and finally the USDA organic path.
Two parallel tracks — clear one without clearing the other
| FDA Food Safety | USDA Organic Label | |
|---|---|---|
| Controls | Food safety & admission at the U.S. port | Whether you may say "organic" on the U.S. label |
| Authority | U.S. FDA — FD&C Act §801 | USDA National Organic Program |
| Core requirement | Facility registration, food safety plan, FSVP | MAFRA-accredited cert + NOP Import Certificate |
| If skipped | Shipment can be refused at the port | Cannot legally label the product "organic" |
The FDA Certification Path
The FDA certification path — five shared filings
- 1
Register your facility with FDA
Foreign food facility registration under 21 CFR Part 1, Subpart H. No fee; renew biennially (Oct 1–Dec 31, even years).
- 2
Designate a U.S. agent
A foreign facility cannot register alone — a U.S.-resident agent for FDA communications is required.
- 3
Build your food safety plan
Written hazard analysis + preventive controls under 21 CFR Part 117 (FSMA PCHF rule).
- 4
Understand FSVP — and help your U.S. buyer
Your U.S. importer is the FSVP importer; clean documentation speeds their verification. A DUNS number identifies them at entry.
- 5
File prior notice for every shipment
Each shipment filed via FDA PNSI or CBP ACE/ABI before arrival (FD&C Act §801(m)).
There is no single "FDA certificate" for green tea powder. Instead, there is a path of registrations and filings that you and your U.S. importer share, in this order.
Step 1: Register your facility with FDA
Per the FDA, any facility that manufactures, processes, packs, or holds food for human consumption in the United States must register with FDA — and this requirement includes foreign facilities. The rule comes from Section 415 of the FD&C Act, carried out in 21 CFR Part 1, Subpart H. For a Korean green tea powder producer, this means your processing or packing site registers as a foreign food facility.
Two facts make this easier than expected. First, the FDA says there is no fee to register a food facility. Second, registration is not a one-time task: registrations must be renewed every other year (biennially), during October 1 to December 31 of each even-numbered year. Mark that window in your calendar, because an expired registration can stop your shipments.
Step 2: Designate a U.S. agent
A foreign facility cannot register alone. The FDA requires every foreign food facility to designate a U.S. agent for FDA communications. The U.S. agent must reside or keep a place of business in the United States and be physically present in the country.
The U.S. agent is your contact point with FDA and a local presence the agency can reach. For a Korean exporter with no U.S. office, lining up a reliable U.S. agent is one of the first things to arrange — without one, your registration cannot be completed.
Step 3: Build your food safety plan
Registering is not the same as being compliant. The FSMA Preventive Controls for Human Food rule requires covered facilities — including foreign facilities that must register under section 415, unless exempt — to prepare and follow a written food safety plan. Per the FDA, that plan must include a hazard analysis, risk-based preventive controls, monitoring, corrective actions, and verification. The rule is codified at 21 CFR Part 117.
In plain terms: you need a documented plan that shows you found the food-safety hazards in your green tea powder, put controls in place, and check that the controls work. Your existing HACCP system is a strong starting point, but the U.S. rule has its own structure, so map your documents to 21 CFR Part 117.
Step 4: Understand FSVP — and help your U.S. buyer
FSVP is the step Korean exporters most often misunderstand. Under the FDA Foreign Supplier Verification Programs rule (21 CFR Part 1, Subpart L), the FSVP importer is the U.S. owner or consignee of the food at the time of U.S. entry. If there is no U.S. owner or consignee, the FSVP importer is the U.S. agent or representative of the foreign owner.
The key point: the FSVP importer — a U.S.-based party — is responsible for verifying that foreign suppliers produce food that meets U.S. safety standards. You, the Korean exporter, are not the FSVP importer, but you are the foreign supplier whose food must be verified. The cleaner the documentation you hand over (food safety plan, hazard analysis, test records, and certificates), the faster your U.S. buyer can complete their FSVP duties — which makes you an easier supplier to keep buying from.
The FDA also requires the FSVP importer to be identified to U.S. Customs and Border Protection at entry using a unique facility identifier. The only identifier FDA currently accepts is a DUNS (Data Universal Numbering System) number, available free of charge.
Step 5: File prior notice for every shipment
Registration covers your facility; prior notice covers each shipment. Per the FDA, prior notice of imported food must be submitted and confirmed electronically by FDA before the food arrives. This requirement comes from section 801(m) of the FD&C Act and is carried out in 21 CFR Part 1, Subpart I. It is filed through the FDA Prior Notice System Interface (PNSI) or U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Automated Commercial Environment (ACE/ABI) system. The next section covers the exact timing.
Required Documents Checklist
Use this checklist before your first U.S. shipment. It separates what you supply as the exporter from what your U.S. partner handles.
| Item | What it is | Who handles it |
|---|---|---|
| FDA food facility registration | Your foreign facility registered under 21 CFR Part 1, Subpart H | You (exporter) + U.S. agent |
| U.S. agent designation | A U.S.-based contact required for foreign facilities | You appoint; U.S. agent confirms |
| Food safety plan (21 CFR Part 117) | Written hazard analysis and preventive controls | You (exporter) |
| Organic certificate from a MAFRA-accredited body | Korean organic certification for the equivalence track | You (exporter) |
| NOP Import Certificate | USDA certificate for organic-labeled product | Your Korean certifier generates it |
| DUNS number for the FSVP importer | Unique facility identifier for entry | U.S. importer |
| Prior notice confirmation | Per-shipment filing confirmed by FDA | U.S. importer / customs broker |
| FSVP records | Supplier verification documentation | U.S. importer (you supply inputs) |
A note on the organic documents: the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) says that for Korean organic products to be labeled "organic" in the United States under the equivalence arrangement, the product must be certified by a Korea Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA)-accredited certification body and travel with an NOP Import Certificate generated in USDA's Organic Integrity Database. The track is explained below.
Processing Time: Plan Your Timeline
Timing is where shipments get held up. Two clocks matter: the per-shipment prior notice clock and the longer renewal clock.
Prior notice timing windows
Per the FDA, prior notice must be submitted and confirmed no fewer than:
- 2 hours before arrival by land via road (truck)
- 4 hours before arrival by land via rail
- 4 hours before arrival by air
- 8 hours before arrival by water (ocean vessel)
For food sent by international mail, prior notice must be submitted before the article is mailed. Most Korean green tea powder travels to the U.S. by ocean, so the 8-hour-before-arrival window is the one most exporters plan around.
There is also an early limit. The FDA says prior notice may not be submitted more than 15 calendar days before the anticipated arrival date if filed through PNSI, or more than 30 calendar days before arrival through CBP's ABI/ACE/ITDS. Missing the window on either end can delay your shipment.
Renewal timing
The FDA requires food facility registration renewal every other year, during October 1 to December 31 of each even-numbered year. Because it comes around only once every two years, it is easy to forget. Set a recurring reminder so an expired registration never surprises you mid-shipment.
The USDA Organic Track for Korean Tea
To put "organic" on the U.S. label, you rely on the US-Korea organic equivalence arrangement.
According to the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), the United States and the Republic of Korea have an organic equivalence arrangement under the USDA National Organic Program that took effect on July 1, 2014. For Korean tea exporters, this means a separate, full USDA organic certification process is often not required, because qualifying Korean certification is recognized.
There are conditions. The AMS says the arrangement covers processed organic products as defined by the Korean Food Code, and all products traded under it must be 95% or greater organic content; "Made With Organic" products are not covered. For green tea powder that is 100% Korean organic green tea, the 95% threshold is comfortably met.
To use the arrangement, the AMS requires the product to be certified by a MAFRA-accredited certification body and to travel with an NOP Import Certificate generated in USDA's Organic Integrity Database. Products are then labeled per USDA organic labeling rules and may display the USDA organic seal and/or the Korean organic food label.
How Ironwood Global Fits In
Most of this guide is about rules every Korean tea exporter must meet. Where a supplier makes your U.S. entry smoother is in being export-ready: a HACCP-certified facility, Korean organic certification, and clean documentation that maps to the FDA and USDA tracks above.
Ironwood Global's 100% Korean organic green tea powder is produced in a HACCP-certified facility and carries Korean organic certification — the starting point for the US-Korea equivalence track and for an importer's FSVP file. As your trade partner, we help align this paperwork so your U.S. importer can register, file prior notice, and complete FSVP with fewer surprises.
Last updated: 2026-05. This guide is for general information only. U.S. import rules change and can depend on your specific product and shipment. Confirm current requirements with the FDA, USDA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and a qualified customs or regulatory professional before you ship.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do I (or my Korean supplier) need FDA food facility registration to ship green tea powder to the United States, and who registers?
- Yes. Per the FDA, any facility that manufactures, processes, packs, or holds food for U.S. consumption must register with FDA, and this includes foreign facilities, under Section 415 of the FD&C Act (21 CFR Part 1, Subpart H). The Korean factory registers as a foreign food facility, and it must designate a U.S. agent to complete the registration. There is no FDA fee to register.
- Who is responsible for FSVP — the Korean exporter or the U.S. importer?
- The U.S. importer. Under the FDA's FSVP rule (21 CFR Part 1, Subpart L), the FSVP importer is the U.S. owner or consignee at the time of entry (or the U.S. agent if there is no U.S. owner or consignee). That U.S.-based party is responsible for verifying that foreign suppliers meet U.S. safety standards. As the Korean exporter, you are the supplier being verified, so providing your food safety plan, hazard analysis, and certificates helps your U.S. buyer comply.
- How early before arrival must prior notice be filed for an ocean shipment of tea powder?
- For arrival by water (ocean vessel), the FDA requires prior notice to be submitted and confirmed no fewer than 8 hours before arrival. It also may not be filed more than 15 calendar days before arrival through PNSI (or 30 days through CBP's ABI/ACE/ITDS). Filing late or outside this window can delay or hold the shipment.
- Is our Korean organic certification accepted in the U.S., or do we need separate USDA Organic certification?
- Under the US-Korea organic equivalence arrangement (effective July 1, 2014, per USDA AMS), qualifying Korean organic certification can be recognized, so a separate full USDA certification is often not required. The product must be certified by a MAFRA-accredited body, be 95% or greater organic content, and travel with an NOP Import Certificate from USDA's Organic Integrity Database. "Made With Organic" products are not covered.
- What is the difference between FDA requirements and USDA organic requirements?
- They are two separate processes. FDA rules cover food safety — facility registration, prior notice, FSVP, and preventive controls — and apply whether or not the product is organic. USDA National Organic Program rules cover only the right to label and market the product as "organic." You must clear the FDA track to import at all, and clear the USDA track to use the "organic" label.
This information is provided for reference. Always confirm current requirements with the FDA, USDA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and qualified customs or regulatory experts before you ship.