2026 Full Analysis of Selection Criteria and Practical Customs Clearance Guide for Dried Fruit & Nut Import Agencies

Import Background and Core Difficulties

China’s consumer market for dried fruits and nuts is expected to exceed 180 billion RMB in 2026,with products such as U.S.almonds,Australian macadamias,and Vietnamese cashews taking up the major market share.As the largest import corridor,Shanghai Port handles more than 2000 containers of dried fruit and nut cargo every month.However,in actual operation,a large number of importers face three major practical obstacles: frequent changes to the access list,increasingly strict quarantine standards,and complex label compliance.Some enterprises fail to understand the latest revision of the Administrative Provisions on Registration of Overseas Production Enterprises of Imported Food,resulting in inability to declare after cargo arrival; other importers ignore the adjustment of aflatoxin limit standards,leading to failed laboratory test results and the entire batch being returned.Among the 127 dried fruit and nut projects handled by Supervisor Hong’s team at Zhongshen in the past year,34% involved emergency response to sudden changes in access qualifications.

Positioning of Zhongshen in the Import Supply Chain

Zhongshen is not simply a customs brokerage,but a compliance management party embedded in the front end of the supply chain.At the initial stage of Mr.Zhuang’s project planning for importing 50 tons of cashews from Vietnam,the Zhongshen team intervened in advance and found that the selected processing plant was not included in the latest Register of Approved Overseas Food Production Enterprises for Import to China released by the General Administration of Customs.By launching an emergency alternative plan,we assisted Mr.Zhuang in switching to a compliant supplier within 48 hours,avoiding the risk of contract breach.This proactive service is built on 20 years of industry data accumulation,covering a real-time policy monitoring system for 12 major source countries including the United States,Australia,Vietnam,Turkey,etc.

Process Stage Decomposition and Compliance Key Points

Stage 1: Access Qualification and Supplier Audit

In 2026,the General Administration of Customs implements dynamic list management for overseas production enterprises of dried fruit and nut products,with access status updated monthly.Before customers sign procurement contracts,Zhongshen’s operation team will issue a Pre-audit Report on Supplier Compliance,focusing on verifying three core items:

• Whether the registration number of the overseas production enterprise is valid
• Whether the product is included in that country’s catalog of food allowed for export to China
• Whether the supplier has any non-compliance records in the past 12 months

In March this year,Zhongshen issued an early warning that three almond processing plants in California,the U.S.were suspended from access due to quarantine issues,helping 5 customers adjust their procurement plans in time and avoid potential losses of about 3 million US dollars.

Stage 2: Document Pre-audit and Label Compliance

The document system for dried fruit and nut import includes 12 types of documents: certificate of origin,phytosanitary certificate,health certificate,component analysis report,etc.Zhongshen implements a "three-audit three-verify" mechanism: first audit for document completeness,second audit for data consistency,third audit for logical rationality.The label link is particularly critical.In 2026,the General Standard for Prepackaged Food Labels puts forward more detailed requirements for allergen labeling,and nut products must clearly state that this product contains the corresponding nut,which may cause allergic reactions.

Mr.Zhuang’s Vietnamese cashew project encountered a challenge at this link: the label sample provided by the foreign party only marked the product name in English,while the latest national standard requires the standardized Chinese name of the product to be used on the label.Zhongshen’s label specialist found this problem during the pre-audit stage,guided the foreign party to reprint the label,avoiding the delay caused by rectification after cargo arrival due to non-compliant labels.

Stage 3: International Transportation and Pre-arrival Preparation

The choice of transportation method directly affects cost and timeliness.Based on three dimensions: cargo characteristics,delivery deadline requirements,and budget constraints,Zhongshen provides customers with FCL sea freight,LCL or air freight solutions.In 2026,Shanghai Port implements an "advance declaration" mode for dried fruit and nut cargo,and declaration data can be submitted 48 hours before the cargo arrives at the port.Zhongshen’s system is directly connected to the port data platform,achieving seamless connection of manifest confirmation,arrival report,and customs declaration submission.For nut products requiring refrigerated transportation,the team monitors the whole-process temperature record to ensure compliance with the temperature control requirement of -18℃ to 5℃.

Stage 4: Port Customs Declaration and Commodity Inspection

This is the core part of the entire import process.Zhongshen decomposes customs declaration and inspection into six action nodes: declaration,inspection,sampling,testing,release,and certificate issuance.In 2026,the customs inspection rate for dried fruits and nuts remains at around 30%,with focus on three checks: consistency of cargo and documents,label compliance,and sensory inspection.

Aflatoxin testing is a mandatory test for dried fruits and nuts,with the limit standard being B1≤5μg/kg,total aflatoxin≤10μg/kg.Zhongshen has established cooperation with testing institutions such as SGS and Intertek,and implements pre-arrival pre-testing for high-risk batches to ensure one-time passing of official testing.

Stage 5: Release,Pickup and Subsequent Supervision

After cargo release,Zhongshen provides two extended services: one is direct delivery to the customer’s designated warehouse,and the other is storage in Zhongshen’s self-operated bonded warehouse,with batches released from the bonded area according to customer instructions.In 2026,the General Administration of Customs implements electronic networked verification for sales records of imported food.The Imported Food Traceability System developed by Zhongshen automatically captures customs declaration data and generates sales record ledgers that meet regulatory requirements,so customers do not need to fill in manually.Supervisor Hong specially reminds that dried fruit and nut products must complete the first sales record upload within 20 working days after release,otherwise the enterprise’s credit rating will be affected.

Practical Case: Handling of Quarantine Abnormality for U.S.Almonds

In January 2026,20 tons of almonds imported by Mr.Zhuang from the United States encountered abnormal inspection at Yangshan Port,Shanghai.On-site customs inspection found that the IPPC mark on the cargo’s wooden pallets was unclear,leading to suspicion of quarantine risk,and the whole container was required to be returned or destroyed.Zhongshen’s on-site staff immediately launched an emergency procedure: first,contact the U.S.supplier to obtain the original record and photos of fumigation treatment for this batch of pallets; second,submit a Situation Statement to the customs,explaining that the blurred mark was caused by moisture during sea transportation; finally,coordinate the port to move the cargo to a designated inspection yard,and replace with compliant pallets under customs supervision.The whole process took 72 hours,and the cargo was finally approved for release,avoiding return losses of about 800,000 US dollars.Mr.Zhuang commented afterwards that without Zhongshen’s on-site disposal capability,this batch of cargo would basically be unsalvageable.

Irreplaceable Value of Professional Agents

Dried fruit and nut import is not simple document transfer,but a professional service that requires in-depth understanding of quarantine rules,accurate grasp of policy trends,and flexible handling of unexpected situations.The value of Zhongshen’s 20 years of accumulation is reflected in three levels: first,policy prediction capability: by monitoring dynamic information from 12 official channels including the General Administration of Customs and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs,we warn of policy adjustments 3-6 months in advance; second,resource integration capability: we have established direct connection channels with major ports,laboratories,and storage providers,realizing information synchronization and priority resource scheduling; third,risk bearing capability: for losses caused by operational errors of our agency,Zhongshen provides compensation up to 10% of the cargo value.In 2026,the average customs clearance lead time for dried fruit and nut customers served by Zhongshen has been compressed to 5.2 working days,11 days faster than the industry average,and compliance costs have been reduced by 35%.For importers,choosing a professional agent does not increase costs,but converts uncertain risks into controllable fixed service fees,which is the real logic of cost optimization.