2026 Practical & Compliance Guide for Full Process of Food Import and Export Agency

Against the 2026 international trade landscape,food import and export is no longer a simple cargo flow,but a compliance game involving multi-departmental collaboration including the General Administration of Customs (GACC),National Health Commission,and State Administration for Market Regulation.Many enterprises new to food import often only focus on the FOB price of goods,but overlook the hidden high thresholds.Once operational errors occur,they face not only high port detention fees,but also the painful outcome of cargo destruction or return.As a foreign trade agency with years of experience in Shanghai,we have witnessed countless bitter lessons caused by document flaws and non-compliant labels.Below is a breakdown of the core process based on Zhongshitong’s practical experience.

Core Compliance Thresholds for Food Import in 2026

Food import differs from general cargo; its core lies in "access" and "compliance".Before cargo shipment,two critical tasks must be completed: verifying the importer’s filing qualification and registering the overseas manufacturing enterprise.Many traders assume they can ship goods once the contract is signed,only to have their cargo directly detained by customs upon arrival at the port,because the overseas manufacturing enterprise has not completed the registration for overseas food manufacturers required by GACC Decree No.248.

GACC Decree No.248: The Lifeline for Overseas Manufacturer Registration

According to GACC Decree No.248,all overseas manufacturing enterprises exporting food to China must be recommended for registration by the competent authority of their home country (region) to the GACC.This is an unavoidable prerequisite.In our practice,we encountered Mr.Pang,who purchased a batch of red wine in South America but failed to verify whether the manufacturer was on the registered list before shipment.When the cargo arrived at the port for declaration,the system automatic matching failed,resulting in the cargo being stranded at the terminal for a full 45 days.Not only did this incur high container detention fees,but the cargo had to be returned reluctantly in the end.Therefore,the first service of our agency is to assist clients in checking whether the enterprise is registered in China via the GACC official website before shipment; if not registered,we need to immediately initiate the recommendation and registration process.

Chinese Label Review: Hidden Bombs in the Ingredient List

Chinese labels for prepackaged food are a high-risk area for inspection.This is not just a translation issue,but a legal compliance issue.Labels must comply with relevant standards such as GB 7718-2011 National Food Safety Standard General Rules for Labels of Prepackaged Foods and GB 28050-2011.The most common pitfalls are the "ingredient list" and "food additives".Many additives that are legal abroad will be directly judged as non-compliant if they are not included in China’s GB 2760 standard,or if prohibited colorants or preservatives are used.

Zhongshitong usually recommends that clients send us the original label and ingredient list for pre-review before cargo production.We will focus on verifying whether the conversion algorithm of the nutrition facts table is accurate,and whether allergenic substances are highlighted.A client once was required to rectify an entire container due to incorrect energy unit labeling,which not only cost tens of thousands of yuan in rectification fees but also missed the optimal launch period.

Practical Details of International Logistics and Document Operations

Food has extremely high requirements for logistics timeliness and environment.Especially for cold chain food,any temperature fluctuation may cause cargo deterioration,which will then be judged as "hygienically non-compliant" by customs.

Cold Chain Monitoring and Official Health Certificate

During the transportation phase,we require the shipping company or freight forwarder to provide temperature records during transportation.This is not only the basis for cargo receipt,but also evidence for claims in case of subsequent quality issues.In addition,the official Health Certificate issued by foreign authorities is the "passport" for customs clearance.The certificate must be issued by the official authority of the exporting country,and the information (such as product name,batch number,production date) must be completely consistent with the actual cargo information.Even a single letter spelling error may result in document review failure.We once handled a batch of frozen seafood,which was forced to contact the foreign embassy to re-issue the health certificate due to inconsistent production date format between the certificate and the label,taking two weeks.

Customs Clearance and Inspection Risk Control at Shanghai Port

Choosing Shanghai Port for food import has inherent advantages.As one of the world’s largest trade ports,Shanghai Customs has a strict but highly efficient food inspection mechanism,and has designated testing laboratories with professional qualifications.

Food Clearance Advantages at Shanghai Port

Relying on its Shanghai headquarters,Zhongshitong can achieve seamless connection between "document pre-entry" and "terminal direct pick-up".For fresh products,we usually apply for "advance declaration" and complete tax payment before the vessel arrives at the port.Once the cargo berths,"side-of-ship direct pick-up" can be implemented,directly transporting the cargo to cold storage,minimizing exposure time at the terminal.This operation mode is particularly important during the peak season in 2026 (such as before Christmas),which can effectively avoid the risk of supply chain disruption caused by port congestion.

Common Declaration Errors and Pitfall Avoidance Checklist

In the customs declaration link,the classification of HS codes is crucial.The classification of food often involves tariff rates,VAT rates,and regulatory conditions.Incorrect classification not only leads to tax supplementation,but may also involve smuggling violations.Below are the high-frequency risk points summarized from our operations:

• False Ingredient Declaration: Deliberately modifying the ingredient list to reduce tariffs or avoid additive inspections.This is a key target of customs crackdown; once discovered,the enterprise’s credit rating will be directly downgraded to dishonest.
• Expiry Date Logic Error: Declared expiry date is earlier than the production date,or confusion between "best before" and "use by".The system logic check will directly intercept the declaration.
• Negligence in Measurement Units: The declared unit is "kilogram",but the actual documents use "liter" or "piece",resulting in quantity matching anomalies.
• Abuse of Certificate of Origin: Attempting to use forged or unauthenticated certificates of origin to enjoy free trade agreement tariff rates.In 2026,customs has realized electronic data verification of certificates of origin,completely eliminating the space for fraud.

Food Export Process and Destination Country Access

Compared with import,the challenges faced by China’s food export are more focused on trade barriers in target markets.Taking export to Europe and the US as an example,FDA registration and EFSA certification are basic thresholds.

Target Market Certification and Anti-Dumping Early Warning

In 2026,anti-dumping investigations against Chinese-made food remain severe.For example,some canned fruits or honey products need to provide detailed exporter VAT invoices to prove that they are not sold below cost when entering specific markets.Zhongshitong’s risk control team monitors tariff policy changes in destination countries in real time.If involved in RCEP member states,we will guide clients to apply for RCEP certificates of origin to reduce costs by using tariff concession rules.In addition,for specific holidays in destination countries (such as Ramadan),we will plan shipping schedules in advance to avoid periods of low port operation efficiency.

Transparent Fees and Risk Early Warning

Many clients’ understanding of agency fees is limited to "customs declaration fees",but in fact,the hidden fees in food import and export are the real profit killers.

Identification of Hidden Fees

In addition to normal customs declaration fees and terminal handling fees,food import also involves "commodity inspection fees","label rectification fees","inspection container stripping fees" and "cold chain power connection fees".Especially when the cargo is selected for sampling inspection,the testing fees are usually borne by the enterprise.Zhongshitong adheres to pre-operation fee transparency and will issue a detailed Fee Budget Sheet before operation,clearly informing which are government fees and which are service fees.We refuse to charge additional fees afterwards under names such as document exchange fees or expedited fees,which is the professional ethics that local foreign trade agencies in Shanghai should uphold.

Food import and export is a complex supply chain that allows no luck.Conducting full-process risk control through a professional agency is not only cost-saving,but also an insurance for the safety of the enterprise’s brand.