PRIOR NOTICE INFORMATION SHEETS
Shipments of Food that Appear to be for Commercial Purposes

The following materials may be used by officials of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) when shipments of food appear to be intended for commercial purposes and arriving as baggage accompanying a traveler, by international mail, or by another method of shipping and prior notice has not been submitted as required.

These information sheets may be attached to any shipment that FDA and/or CBP believes is subject to prior notice and doesn't have it.  The intent of these information sheets is to educate individuals to the fact that FDA and CBP will enforce the requirement for prior notice on future shipments of food for commercial purposes notwithstanding the method of shipping.

For further information see the Compliance Policy Guide: Prior Notice of Imported Food Under the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002, issued December 2003 and revised, June, August, and November 2004.  The CPG  states in Section III, B, 1 Education/Communication, that FDA, to the extent possible, will provide an information sheet on prior notice when:

• An article of food that is carried by or otherwise accompanying an individual is not for personal use and has inadequate prior notice or the individual cannot provide FDA or CBP with a copy of the prior notice (PN) confirmation,
• An article of food arrives by international mail with inadequate prior notice or the PN confirmation number is not affixed, and
• An article of food is imported or offered for import for non-commercial purposes with a non-commercial shipper

Sample Information Sheets:

• Information about International Mail shipments of food subject to prior notice requirements
• Information about Commercial Shipments of food subject to prior notice requirements with Non-Commercial Shippers
• Information for International Travelers who are carrying or otherwise accompanied by an article of food subject to prior notice provisions