Complete Operation Process of Food Import Agency Customs Declaration, Full Step Sorting of Overseas Food Domestic Customs Clearance

Core Precondition of Food Import Agency Customs Declaration: Access Qualification Verification

I have been engaged in frontline customs declaration business at Shanghai Port for 20 years.Two years ago,I met Ms.Huo who imported a full container of prepackaged dried durian from Thailand.After the cargo arrived at Yangshan Port,it was found that the overseas manufacturer had not completed the registration required by GACC Order No.248,so the shipment was directly judged as prohibited from entering China,and finally had to be returned,resulting in a loss of nearly 200,000 yuan in freight and cargo value.Such problems can be completely avoided in advance.The biggest difference between food import and general cargo import lies in the strict access threshold.All links must be verified in advance,and no procedures can be supplemented after the cargo arrives at the port.

• Overseas manufacturers must complete GACC (General Administration of Customs of China) Order No.248 registration.Products from unregistered enterprises are prohibited from entering the country.In 2026,the customs will further strengthen the inspection of unregistered enterprises,and unreported shipments will be directly returned without any buffer.
• Confirm in advance that all food additives in the product ingredient list meet the access requirements of China’s GB 2760.Some additives commonly used overseas are not included in China’s permitted use list,and shipment sent without careful verification will definitely be blocked during customs clearance.
• For prepackaged food,the pre-review of Chinese labels must be completed in advance.The label content shall meet the mandatory requirements of GB 7718 General Standard for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods,and products with original overseas labels cannot be directly allowed to enter China.

No matter you adopt EXW or FOB trade terms,we can help you complete all qualification checks before shipment in advance,verify all information from the validity of the certificate of origin to the manufacturer’s registration information before arranging shipment.Headquartered in Shanghai,Zhongshitong leverages the information advantages of Shanghai Port to coordinate with all ports across China to complete cross-port declaration.No matter which port your goods enter from,we can operate uniformly,so you do not need to connect different agents separately.

Standard Operation Process of Food Import Agency Customs Declaration

Many importers think that customs declaration is just filling out a form and paying taxes.In fact,there are compliance requirements at every node,and a mistake in one link may lead to high demurrage charges.I have sorted out the core requirements of standard operation nodes and made them into a table for easy reference:

In 2026,food imported from RCEP member states can enjoy the preferential tariff rate under the agreement with a compliant certificate of origin.We will check the format and standard of the certificate of origin in advance to ensure that customers can get tariff reductions smoothly and will not miss the tax reduction benefits due to non-compliant documents.For food imported from European and American countries,we will also check the latest trade compliance requirements in advance to avoid all kinds of technical trade barriers.

Common Risk Warning for Food Import Customs Declaration

With years of working experience,I have seen too many customers suffer losses due to unprofessional agents.Here I directly point out the two most common pitfalls.The first one is the hidden cost trap.Many small agents attract customers with low prices,charging only hundreds to one thousand yuan for customs declaration,but finally add several times higher fees for document exchange,document modification and warehousing.Last month,Manager Fang contacted us for emergency support.The previous small agent quoted 800 yuan for customs clearance,but finally charged more than 8000 yuan for document exchange,while the normal document exchange fee is only a little more than 1000 yuan.We will list all fees clearly in advance for all operations,without any hidden charges.

The second one is exchange rate risk.In 2026,the global exchange rate fluctuates in a large range.Many small and medium-sized importers have not arranged exchange rate hedging,resulting in extra cost losses of several percentage points when making foreign exchange payments.We cooperate with professional foreign exchange settlement channels,and can help customers lock in the exchange rate in advance to avoid unnecessary exchange losses.

In addition,please note that if you import meat,fresh food and other categories,you need to apply for the import license in advance,and no import is allowed without a valid license.You also need to make plans in advance for the impact of holidays.For example,if the imported cargo meets the Christmas season in Europe and America or the Ramadan in the Middle East,the shipping schedule is prone to delay.We will adjust the customs clearance plan in advance and reserve sufficient buffer time to avoid high port demurrage fees.

The core of food import customs declaration is advance compliance verification.Our global agent network can help you complete all document review and qualification verification before shipment,block all problems outside the border,and avoid unnecessary losses caused by emergency handling after the cargo arrives at the port.We can directly handle food import business at any port across China,so you do not need to connect multiple entities,and the whole process is followed up uniformly.