Basic 1: What do you need to sell Japanese tea?

What do you need to sell Japanese tea?

In Japan, no permission is required to sell packaged Japanese tea in stores or online. When serving Japanese tea to customers at cafes, etc., permission from the "restaurant business" is required. When we wholesale Japanese tea products to cafes and restaurants, we do not need to confirm the license of the store.

There are various restrictions on selling alcohol, even for the same food. The seller also needs a license, and it is also necessary to confirm whether the purchaser is a minor.

Rules and regulations vary from country to country. For example, the United States. We export Japanese tea products to the US.

• Restrictions on import customs clearance in the US
• Regulations for selling to cafes and restaurants in the US
• Labeling regulations for retail and internet sales in the US
• Facility registration to US Food and Drug Authority

Regulations are such things.

Import customs regulations include tariffs, reporting to authorities that food has been imported, and phytosanitary, but in the US, only customs duties and reporting to authorities. World-wide item code "HS0902.10 Green tea" is free of import duties in the US. Therefore, our customer buyers do not have to bear import duties.

Whether we are exporting to cafes or restaurants in the US for sale or retailing in the US, we are registered with the US FDA as a food facility in Japan. And we are doing display labels that comply with the regulations. Therefore, buyers do not need to take any special procedures when retailing our ZENJIRO products or purchasing them at restaurants.

However, things are different in different countries. Some countries require more documentation and confirmation to import or sell.

Thus, when foreign buyers to import into their own country:

• What is required for food import customs clearance (HS code 0902.10 for green tea)?
• What is the tariff rate in that case?
• Do I need any permission to sell food domestically?

You need to know above. In the US, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and Customs have a lot of information. I think it is posted on the site of similar authorities in other countries.