How to Choose a Food Raw Materials Import Customs Broker? 2026 New Regulation Compliance Customs Clearance Operation Guide

Last month,Supervisor Shen handled an inquiry from a baking enterprise in Suzhou.The client previously hired a local small customs brokerage agency to handle the import of Australian oat flour.After the cargo arrived at the port,it was found that the overseas production factory had not completed registration under GACC Decree No.248.The cargo was finally ordered to be returned directly,resulting in total losses of nearly 120,000 yuan including port detention charges and round-trip freight.Such problems are very common in the food raw materials import sector,and the core cause is that the customs brokerage agency is unfamiliar with food access rules and fails to carry out pre-audit in advance.

2026 Core Access Requirements for Food Raw Materials Import Customs Declaration

Food raw materials fall under the category of key customs supervision.Under the latest 2026 supervision rules,all imported food raw materials must meet three mandatory access conditions,and any missing condition may lead to cargo detention and return.

• Overseas production enterprises must complete registration under GACC Decree No.248.Food raw materials produced by enterprises not listed in the registration directory are strictly prohibited from entering China.Some animal-derived raw materials also need to obtain additional inspection and quarantine access qualification for export to China.
• All accompanying documents must be complete,including certificate of origin,corresponding inspection and quarantine certificate (phytosanitary certificate/sanitary certificate/health certificate),third-party testing report.For raw materials from RCEP member states,preferential certificate of origin is also required to apply for tariff reduction or exemption.
• The ingredient list must fully comply with China’s GB 2760 National Food Safety Standard for Uses of Food Additives.Any additives beyond the scope of the national standard or unlabeled ingredients will be judged as unqualified,and cannot be cleared even if the ingredients themselves are safe.

Comparison of Customs Clearance Parameters for Different Types of Food Raw Materials

3 Pitfalls to Avoid When Looking for a Food Raw Materials Import Customs Broker

At present,the quality of customs brokerage agencies in the market varies.Many small agencies only provide document submission services and have no experience in food customs clearance,which can easily cause unnecessary losses to clients.The following 3 pitfalls are the most common cases we have seen in our years of practice.

The first pitfall is the lack of document pre-audit.Many customs brokerage agencies will not check documents in advance,and only find problems when submitting documents after the cargo arrives at the port.At this point,supplementing or modifying documents will take at least 3-7 days,and the resulting port detention charges and storage fees are all borne by the client.In 2026,the port detention charge for a 20ft general cargo container at Shanghai Port is 320 yuan per day,which will double directly after 7 days.For multiple containers,extra costs of tens of thousands of yuan can be incurred in just one week.

The second pitfall is false value declaration for customs valuation.Some customs brokerage agencies,in order to attract clients,will actively propose under-declaring the cargo value to help clients save tax.Once spotted by the customs valuation department during random inspection,you will not only have to pay the difference in tax,but also pay a fine of 0.5 to 5 times the tax amount.At the same time,the enterprise will be included in the customs untrustworthy list,and all subsequent import and export goods will be subject to key inspection.In addition,in 2026,China still levies anti-dumping duties on tapioca starch from some parts of Southeast Asia and some sugar products from Brazil.If the customs brokerage agency fails to verify the origin in advance,clients will have to pay several times more tax.

The third pitfall is hidden fee traps.Many small agencies quote a customs declaration fee 30% lower than the market price,but after cooperation,they will charge extra fees such as document exchange fee,inspection accompaniment fee,disinfection fee,document production fee,etc.The final total cost is 20%-40% higher than the market price.Clients either pay more or have their cargo detained and cannot pick up the goods,which puts them in a very passive position.

Standard Operation Process of Professional Food Raw Materials Import Customs Brokers

We have been based in Shanghai Port for more than 20 years.Our food raw materials import customs declaration business covers all ports across the country,and we have cooperative agency networks in more than 100 countries around the world.Whether under EXW,FOB or CIF terms,we can provide door-to-door full-chain services.Our operation process is all front-loaded to avoid customs clearance risks from the root.

After signing the contract,we will provide the client with a document list as soon as possible,requiring overseas suppliers to send scanned copies of all documents for pre-audit 7 days before shipment.We will check the qualification of overseas factories,consistency of document information,and ingredient compliance one by one,and guide suppliers to make modifications directly if there are problems,to ensure 100% compliance of documents with customs requirements.For animal and plant-derived raw materials requiring quarantine approval,we will submit the application for clients 15 working days in advance to avoid the situation that the approval is not completed when the cargo arrives at the port.

3 days before the cargo arrives at the port,we will complete pre-declaration and pay customs duties in advance.After the cargo arrives at the port,we will arrange inspection directly.If there is no problem,the cargo can be released on the same day at the earliest.Ordinary plant-derived raw materials can basically complete customs clearance in 3 days,which is 40% faster than the industry average time.All our fees are clearly marked,and all fees are listed clearly when signing the contract,without any hidden consumption.At the same time,our risk control department monitors the tariff policies and anti-dumping trends of various countries in real time,and gives early warning to clients in advance to avoid unnecessary tax losses.

In March 2026,we handled a case of imported whole milk powder from New Zealand.The client is a baking enterprise in Jiangsu,with 12 containers of goods needed to meet the production schedule,requiring customs clearance and delivery to the factory within 7 days.We contacted the overseas supplier 10 days in advance,verified the GACC registration qualification,pre-audited all documents in advance,confirmed that there were no non-compliant ingredients,completed pre-declaration and tax payment 3 days before the cargo arrived at the port,coordinated with Yangshan Port for priority inspection after the cargo arrived,passed the inspection and released on the same day.Finally,it only took 5 days to deliver the goods to the client’s factory without any extra fees.

Starting from the second half of 2026,GACC has increased the sampling rate of pesticide and veterinary drug residues for imported food raw materials by 20%.Once the test is unqualified,the cargo will be directly returned or destroyed,with no room for rectification.It is recommended that importers contact professional customs brokerage agencies for pre-audit before shipment to avoid risks from the source.