2026 Casual Food Agency Cooperation: Dual Analysis of Compliance and Risks

Core Values and Risk Boundaries of Casual Food Agency Cooperation

In Q1 2026,the import volume of casual food at Shanghai Port increased by 15% year-on-year,while 80% of agency cooperation encountered customs clearance delays due to label filing delays and non-compliant inspection and quarantine results.Zhongshitong’s 20 years of foreign trade experience shows that food agency is far from simple "customs declaration and inspection",but covers full-chain services including qualification review of overseas manufacturers,destination country market access,foreign exchange settlement and more.When selecting an agency,three core issues need to be focused on: Where is the compliance bottom line?How to define the service boundary?How to avoid hidden costs?

I.Compliance Red Lines and Regulatory Key Points for Casual Food Agency

Food agency involves two-way supervision for both import and export.In 2026,Zhongshitong identified three types of high-frequency violation risks:

• Imported Food: The "filing of overseas manufacturers of imported food" required by Decree No.248 shall be completed in advance,otherwise the goods will face inspection of "cargo release without bill of lading" after arriving at the port.Last year,a client imported biscuits from Japan,and incurred 200,000 yuan of demurrage due to port detention caused by failure to complete the filing in advance.
• Exported Food: Labels for destination countries shall conform to local standards.For example,the EU requires mandatory labeling of allergens such as nuts and gluten,and the US FDA has strict restrictions on the E150a number of food additive caramel color.
• Chinese Label Filing: GB 7718-2024 adds the requirement that "energy,protein,fat and carbohydrate shall be mandatorily marked on the nutrition facts table".An enterprise had 600 cases of snacks detained by customs because it failed to mark trans fatty acids in accordance with the new regulation.

II.Differentiated Advantages of Zhongshitong’s Agency Services

As a long-established agency at Shanghai Port,we build core competitiveness through "three-network linkage":

III.Practical Operation Process and Risk Avoidance Guide for Agency Cooperation

Taking import agency as an example,four key nodes shall be strictly controlled in the complete process:

• Qualification Pre-inspection: The agent shall provide business license and food business permit in advance.Zhongshitong simultaneously verifies whether the overseas manufacturer is filed with GACC as required by Decree No.248,to avoid the risk of "customs clearance without qualification".
• Document Preparation: Commercial invoice,packing list,bill of lading,certificate of origin (Form A/F) and health certificate shall be provided,among which the health certificate shall include test results of microbial indicators.
• Customs Clearance Operation: The mode of "document pre-audit + electronic declaration" is adopted.The average preliminary review takes 3 hours at Shanghai Port,and the inspection rate is 40% lower than the industry average.
• Label Filing: Chinese labels shall comply with GB 7718-2024,with focus on checking the "order of ingredient list" and "units of nutrition facts table" (for example,the unit of protein is g/100g).

IV.2026 Key Market Policies and Risk Warnings

Agencies targeting different regions shall pay attention to special policies:

• RCEP Member States: Tariff reduction can be enjoyed with Certificate of Origin (Form R),while the "substantial transformation" rule shall be noted.A nut enterprise lost 120,000 yuan in tariffs because mixed packaging of raw materials led to invalid Form R.
• EU Market: New testing requirements for food contact materials were added in 2026,and EFSA certification shall be provided for plastic packaging.
• Southeast Asian Market: Vietnam and Thailand implement the "dual review system for importer qualifications" for meat snacks,and it is necessary to verify in advance whether the local importer has a food distribution permit.

V.Practical Case Analysis of Agency Cooperation

Situation: A food enterprise (Company A) entrusted an agency to import dried durian from Malaysia.The goods were delayed for 15 days for inspection after arriving at the port because the "filing of overseas manufacturers of imported food" was not completed in advance.Task: Zhongshitong’s agency team provided a full-process solution.Actions: 1.Urgently applied for the green channel for "filing of overseas manufacturers of imported food"; 2.Marked the "contains soy" allergen on the Chinese label strictly in accordance with GB 7718-2024; 3.Coordinated with the shipping company to change the port to Yangshan Port to avoid the inspection peak.Result: Customs clearance of the goods was completed within 48 hours,tariff was reduced by 15%,and 80,000 yuan of port demurrage was saved.

VI.List of Required Qualifications for Agency Cooperation

• Import agent shall provide: Business License + Food Business Permit + Import and Export Right Filing (Those without import and export right can entrust Zhongshitong to apply on their behalf)
• Export agent shall provide: Filing Certificate of Export Food Production Enterprise + Product Test Report (Zhongshitong assists in sample submission,shortening the cycle by 30%)
• Agent shall sign: Customs Declaration Authorization Letter + Inspection Declaration Authorization Letter + Bill of Lading Endorsement Template (Zhongshitong provides standard templates to avoid legal disputes)

Conclusion: Selection Criteria for Agency Cooperation in 2026

The essence of casual food agency cooperation is "compliance capability + risk guarantee".Zhongshitong suggests that three indicators shall be verified when selecting an agency: port coverage capability (such as 24-hour clearance at Yangshan Port),label filing experience (mastery of updated contents of GB 7718-2024),and response speed of global customs clearance network (such as 3-hour emergency contact in Southeast Asia).Through agency cooperation with Zhongshitong,the food import and export cycle can be shortened from the industry average of 25 days to 12 days,and compliance risks can be reduced by 80%.