Full Process Operation and Compliance Risk Points for Foreign Food Import Agency at Shanghai Port

Core Services and Compliance Processes of Foreign Food Import Agencies

In 2026,domestic consumers’ demand for imported food continues to grow,but many enterprises are unfamiliar with regulatory rules,and often face problems such as incomplete documents,regulatory compliance violations and excessive hidden costs.As a senior import agency at Shanghai Port,we have handled hundreds of global food import businesses,and are well aware of the regulatory details and risk points of each link.

Customs Valuation: Avoid Price Declaration Risks

Customs valuation is the first core link for imported food.In 2026,the General Administration of Customs updated the valuation rules for imported food,requiring enterprises to provide authentic transaction price certificates,including invoices,contracts,freight insurance policies,etc.I once handled a milk powder import business from New Zealand.The price declared by the client was lower than the average price of similar products,and the customs suspected under-declaration of price.Later,we assisted the client to provide materials such as the supplier’s pricing policy and market report,and finally passed the valuation smoothly.In addition,for food imported from affiliated enterprises,supporting documents for related party transactions must be provided,otherwise the customs will directly adjust the valuation amount,increasing the tax cost of the enterprise.

Commodity Inspection Pre-Inspection: Check Label and Compliance Issues in Advance

Commodity inspection pre-inspection is a key step to avoid return of goods.In 2026,the State Administration for Market Regulation updated the label standards for prepackaged food,requiring that specific names of food additives in the ingredient list must be marked,and cannot be replaced by "food additives".In the first half of 2026,we helped a client from Zhejiang import sparkling wine from France.The label prepared by the client only marked "food additives",and was required to be rectified by the commodity inspection authority.Later,we assisted the client to contact the French supplier to reissue a label that meets the GB7718 standard,and finally completed customs clearance smoothly.In addition,it is necessary to check whether information such as batch number and production date on the certificate of origin is completely consistent with the goods.Any discrepancy in details will lead to document rejection.

Animal and Plant Quarantine: Special Supervision for Specific Foods

If the imported food is of animal or plant origin,such as meat,fruits and vegetables,dairy products,an animal and plant quarantine permit must be obtained,and a Phytosanitary Certificate or animal quarantine certificate must be provided.In 2026,China Customs updated the list of prohibited imported animal and plant products,and some fruits from Africa were included in the list.Agents need to check in advance whether the country of origin of the goods is in the permitted import list.We once helped a client from Guangzhou import oranges from Spain,and checked the quarantine requirements for Spanish citrus fruits in advance to ensure that the goods passed the quarantine process smoothly.

Import License: Special Approval for Special Foods

Some special foods,such as infant formula food and health food,require an import license.In 2026,the National Medical Products Administration updated the approval process for special food import,shortening the approval time to 15 working days,but it is necessary to prepare product formulas,third-party test reports and other materials in advance.We helped a client from Beijing import infant formula milk powder from Australia,sorted out all approval materials one month in advance,successfully obtained the import license,and ensured that the goods arrived at the port and cleared customs on time.

Practical Case: Full Process of Nut Import Customs Clearance in Suzhou

Scenario: In March 2026,a food trader from Suzhou,Jiangsu Province imported a batch of nuts from the United States,and planned to clear customs at Shanghai Port.It was originally expected to complete customs clearance within 10 days,but the documents prepared by the client themselves had multiple problems.

Task: Help the client complete customs clearance quickly,avoid demurrage and storage costs,and avoid compliance risks at the same time.

Action: We first checked the documents submitted by the client,and found that the FDA registration certificate was not provided,the format of the certificate of origin did not meet the requirements of China Customs,and the Chinese label did not mark the specific name of food additives.We immediately assisted the client to contact the US supplier to reissue the certificate of origin and FDA registration certificate that meet the requirements,and redesigned the Chinese label that meets the GB7718 standard,and submitted the pre-inspection application to Shanghai commodity inspection authority in advance,completing the pre-inspection within 3 days.In addition,we found that this batch of nuts belongs to the products subject to additional anti-dumping duties imposed by China on the United States,so we explained the tariff cost to the client in advance,and helped the client adjust the quotation strategy.

Result: This batch of nuts completed customs clearance within 7 days,no demurrage or storage cost was incurred,the client successfully completed the sales plan,and saved about 20,000 yuan of rectification costs.

Core Service List of Foreign Food Import Agency

• Assist in completing GACC registration of overseas production enterprises required by Decree No.248
• Pre-examine import documents,and check compliance risks and hidden return risks in advance
• Handle special approvals such as import license,animal and plant quarantine permit,etc.
• Assist in Chinese label design and filing review
• Act as agent for customs valuation and tax payment,and avoid foreign exchange loss risks
• Arrange international logistics and port customs clearance,and track cargo progress throughout the process
• Provide compliance consulting and real-time risk early warning services

Compliance Red Lines and Risk Early Warning for Imported Food

There are multiple untouchable compliance red lines in imported food business,and we have summarized three types of high-frequency risks:

• Food that has not completed GACC registration of overseas production enterprises required by Decree No.248 is strictly prohibited from import.Enterprises need to check in advance whether the supplier is in the official registration list
• Acts such as forging quarantine certificates and under-declaring transaction prices will be fined 50,000 to 100,000 yuan by the customs,and even listed in the dishonesty list,affecting all subsequent import and export businesses
• Some freight forwarding companies charge high document exchange fees and demurrage fees.We will list all charging items to the client in advance to avoid hidden cost expenditure
• Holidays such as Ramadan and Christmas season will reduce port customs clearance efficiency by more than 30%,so document review and cargo arrangement should be completed 1-2 weeks in advance

As a senior import agency at Shanghai Port,we rely on national port linkage resources and global agency network to provide enterprises with one-stop foreign food import services,help enterprises avoid compliance risks,reduce hidden costs,and realize safe and fast entry of global food.