Food Import Foreign Trade Agency Services Solving All Issues Related to Access, Customs Clearance and Label Filing

I have over 20 years of experience in import customs clearance,and last month I just assisted Mr.Zuo from Shanghai in handling an issue with a batch of prepackaged dried fruits imported from Southeast Asia.The small agency Mr.Zuo initially approached failed to verify the manufacturer’s qualifications,and it was only when the goods arrived at the port that the GACC registration was found to have expired,almost resulting in the entire container being returned.We organized this case in accordance with the STAR principle: the situation was that three containers had already arrived at the port,with demurrage fees increasing by 4,000 yuan per day; the task was to resolve the compliance issue within one week to avoid shipment return; our actions were: first,connect to the Shanghai Customs filing system,assist the manufacturer in updating the registration information,while conducting a pre-examination of the Chinese labels in advance,discovering that an additive in the ingredients did not meet the access requirements of China’s national standards,coordinate Mr.Zuo and the overseas manufacturer to replace the ingredients and revise the documents; the final result was completing customs clearance in seven days,no high demurrage fees were incurred,helping Mr.Zuo save nearly 200,000 yuan in return shipment losses.

Core Risk Points in Customs Price Verification

Many import customers still view price verification as "just filling in the declared price",but in 2026,customs’ verification requirements for import food prices have become more detailed.The content included in the declared price varies completely under different trade terms: under EXW terms,customers need to add both overseas pickup freight and insurance to the dutiable price; under FOB terms,they need to add ocean freight and insurance.Many customers fail to declare these fees,which is deemed as under-declaration of prices,not only requiring supplementary tax payment and late fees but also affecting the enterprise’s customs credit rating.If it involves branded food,royalty fees will also be verified,and failure to declare them will also trigger customs audit and inspection.

Core Access Requirements for Commodity Inspection Pre-Examination

The access threshold for food imports is the strictest among all categories,and the core requirements are organized as follows:

• Overseas production enterprises must complete registration in accordance with Decree 248 of GACC; goods that are unregistered or whose registration has expired are not allowed to enter the country
• Prepackaged food must complete pre-examination and filing of Chinese labels in advance,and the label content must be completely consistent with the certificate of origin and the origin ingredient list
• All food additives in the ingredient list must comply with the access requirements of China’s national standard GB 2760; illegal additives will be directly judged as unqualified and returned
• A health and quarantine certificate issued by the official of the exporting country must be provided before entry,and the certificate format must comply with the latest customs requirements

If the food is imported from a RCEP member country,the direct transport rules of the certificate of origin must be checked in advance; for third-party transshipment,an unprocessed certificate from the transshipment port must be provided,otherwise the preferential tariff under the agreement cannot be enjoyed,and the overpaid taxes cannot be refunded.

Animal and Plant Quarantine and Import License Processing

Foods requiring animal and plant quarantine approval,such as imported meat,aquatic products,fruits,and grains,must apply for the "Entry Animal and Plant Quarantine Approval License" in advance.Many small agencies are not familiar with the process,leading to incorrect product names or expiration date mismatches,resulting in the license not being available when the goods arrive at the port,and the incurred demurrage fees often exceed one-tenth of the goods value.For foods requiring import quotas,such as dairy products and grains,we will help customers check the quota usage in advance to avoid the problem of goods arriving at the port without a valid license.

The following is a comparison of core dimensions between self-operated imports and operations by professional foreign trade agencies:

Common Risk Alerts

The first risk is the hidden fee trap.I previously encountered a client from Zhejiang who approached a small agency with a quote 30% lower than the market price,but after the goods arrived at the port,they were charged double document exchange fees and unexplained port service fees.Finally,they came to us to transfer the order; our cooperative team at Ningbo Port completed customs clearance in three days and helped them recover the overcharged fees.All our operation fees are included in the contract in advance,and we will not increase prices midway.

The second risk is exchange rate fluctuation risk.In 2026,global exchange rate fluctuations remain significant,and many customers do not hedge against risks when making payments,resulting in several percentage points more costs than expected when paying,eroding all profits.We will provide appropriate exchange loss hedging solutions based on the customer’s shipment schedule to lock in the foreign exchange purchase cost.

Zhongshitong is rooted in Shanghai International Trade Center,capable of handling off-site declarations at all ports nationwide,with a cooperative agency network in major global production areas,able to verify manufacturer qualifications in advance,monitor tariff rate changes in various countries in real time,avoid impacts of special nodes such as Ramadan and Christmas season on customs clearance efficiency in advance,and proactively complete document review and property rights risk control.

The core of food imports has always been to stay ahead of issues; checking all compliance requirements in advance can avoid the vast majority of unnecessary losses.