---
title: "Custom Food Import Agency, Full Process Analysis of Compliance Customs Clearance - Zhongshen Trading China"
description: "In 2026，the custom food import market in Shanghai continues to grow rapidly，with many enterprises stuck in customs clearance delays due to complex compliance requirements and tedious commodity inspection procedures. The core issue is how to balance import efficiency and food safety compliance. Mr. Chen，a senior consultant at Zhongshen，pointed out that custom food has specialized formulations and scattered origins，requiring targeted solutions to pain points such as label review and quarantine app..."
url: "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/food-wine/custom-food-import-agency-compliance-process-analysis.html"
language: "en"
type: "Article"
category: "Food and beverages"
datePublished: "2026-08-21"
dateModified: "2026-08-21"
brand: "Zhongshen Trading China"
image: "https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/food/pboGHbCiiJyVt.webp"
---

# Custom Food Import Agency, Full Process Analysis of Compliance Customs Clearance

## Background and Common Difficulties of Custom Food Import

In 2026,Shanghai,as the core hub for national food imports,sees growing demand for the custom food market — many enterprises target categories such as European probiotic snacks and Southeast Asian functional dried fruits,trying to fill the gap in domestic personalized food.However,these custom foods have specialized formulations and scattered origins,often encountering many troubles during the import process:

![Zhongshen Custom Food Import Agency: 2026 Compliance Plan](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/food/pboGHbCiiJyVt.webp)

- Large differences in compliance requirements across countries: European products require EU Food Safety Authority (EFSA) formula assessment,while Southeast Asian products need to meet ASEAN Food Standards (AFA).Enterprises often get their orders rejected due to incomplete documents;
- Label review is prone to pitfalls: mandatory information such as Chinese labels,nutrition facts tables,and country of origin must all be included.There was a case where an enterprise had its goods detained by commodity inspection because the label did not indicate "allergen warning";
- Tariff calculation is complex: the tax rate of functional custom food is affected by ingredient proportions,and ordinary enterprises have difficulty accurately matching the preferential tariff rates of free trade agreements;
- High frequency of commodity inspection sampling: custom food has small batch sizes and unique formulas,so commodity inspection often requires sampling and testing for each batch,extending the customs clearance period.

## Core Role of Zhongshen in Custom Food Import

Zhongshen has been engaged in foreign trade agency for over 20 years,and targeted at the pain points of custom food import,it can provide full-process support from document pre-review to commodity inspection release.For example,a Shanghai food trading company (handled by Mr.Chen) that we cooperated with in 2025 originally planned to import German custom probiotic gummies,but was informed by the original agency that they could not declare customs during the document pre-review stage because they had not prepared the EFSA formula assessment report.After contacting Zhongshen,they supplemented the required report in only 3 working days and completed the import smoothly.

The core advantages of Zhongshen are: familiar with the 2026 latest National Food Safety Standard - General Standard for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods (GB 7718) and the import food quarantine requirements of various countries,able to identify risks in advance; at the same time,it connects to the green channels of commodity inspection and customs at Shanghai port,which can shorten the sampling and testing cycle.

## Process Breakdown and Compliance Handling of Custom Food Import

### 1.Pre-shipment Document Pre-review: Avoid 90% of Compliance Risks in Advance

Custom food has more stringent document requirements than ordinary food.Zhongshen will complete full document review before the goods are shipped,focusing on the following points:

- Ingredient and formula verification: Confirm whether it complies with China’s National Food Safety Standard - Standards for the Use of Food Additives (GB 2760),such as whether the probiotic strains in the German custom gummies are on the domestic allowed use list;
- Label compliance: Check whether the Chinese label includes mandatory information such as product name,ingredient list,nutrition facts table,country of origin,and production date,and whether the allergen warning (such as "contains dairy products") is clear;
- Quarantine certificate verification: European products need to provide EFSA formula assessment reports,while Southeast Asian products need to provide ASEAN health certificates,confirming that the issuing authority’s qualifications meet China’s commodity inspection requirements.

Mr.Fu’s company once imported French custom cheese,and was required by the original agency to rework the label because the label did not indicate "trans fatty acid content",which delayed the delivery by 10 days.Later,during the pre-review with Zhongshen,the problem was detected and corrected in advance,and the goods directly entered the customs declaration process after arriving at the port,without delaying delivery.

![Encountered Customs Clearance Issues in Custom Food Import? Fast Customs Clearance Guide with Agency Services](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/EU3CPm8UW3eE2.webp)

### 2.Port Customs Declaration: Accurate Tariff Calculation to Reduce Costs

Tariff calculation for custom food needs to combine factors such as ingredient proportions and free trade agreements of the origin.Zhongshen will assist enterprises in matching the optimal tariff code:

| Origin | Product Type | General Tariff Rate | Preferential Tariff Rate (Free Trade Agreement) | Key Assistance Points of Zhongshen |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Germany | Custom Probiotic Gummies | 12% | None (Not covered by China-EU Agreement) | Confirm validity of EFSA report,optimize declaration elements |
| Thailand | Custom Dried Mangoes | 15% | 8% (China-ASEAN Agreement) | Audit certificate of origin format,match agreed tariff codes |
| Malaysia | Custom Bird’s Nest Drinks | 25% | 18% (China-ASEAN Agreement) | Confirm compliance of bird’s nest raw material sources,supplement quarantine certificates |

When Ms.Luo’s company imported Thai custom dried mangoes,they originally planned to declare at the 15% general food tax rate.Zhongshen found that their certificate of origin complied with the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement,and dried mangoes belong to processed foods,successfully applying for the 8% preferential tax rate,saving the enterprise nearly 20,000 yuan in tariffs.

### 3.Commodity Inspection and Quarantine: Fast Release Without Delaying Delivery

Custom food has small batch sizes and unique formulas,so commodity inspection often requires sampling and testing for each batch.Zhongshen will assist enterprises in:

- Communicate with commodity inspection institutions in advance: Coordinate fast testing channels for the sampling needs of custom foods;
- Prepare sampling samples: Provide samples that meet the standards as required by commodity inspection (such as 1kg dried mangoes,500g cheese);
- Track testing progress: Provide real-time feedback on test results,and assist enterprises in providing supplementary certificates if non-conforming items are found.

In March 2026,an enterprise imported Malaysian custom bird’s nest drinks,and commodity inspection required testing the traceability information of bird’s nest raw materials.Zhongshen assisted the enterprise in preparing the traceability certificate from the Malaysian Ministry of Agriculture in advance,completing commodity inspection release in only 4 working days,which was 6 days shorter than the conventional cycle.

## Summary: Value of Zhongshen’s Agency Services

For custom food import enterprises,compliance risks and efficiency issues are the two core pain points.With 20 years of industry experience,Zhongshen can avoid 90% of compliance risks during the document pre-review stage,help enterprises save 10%-15% of costs through accurate tariff calculation,and coordinate port resources to shorten the customs clearance period.For example,among the 12 custom food import enterprises we cooperated with in 2025,the average customs clearance period was shortened from 15 days to 8 days,and there were no cases of order rejection due to compliance issues.

Whether it is European probiotic snacks or Southeast Asian functional dried fruits,Zhongshen can provide personalized import agency solutions for custom foods of different origins and categories,helping enterprises successfully enter the domestic market.

## Related Resources
- [Food and beverages](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/food-wine/)
- [Trade Services](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/services/)
- [Trade Cases](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/cases/)
- [Trade Wiki](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/wiki/)
- [Trade Class](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/guide/)
- [Global Trade Services](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/country/)
- [Trade Q&A Hub](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/)

## Structured Data

```json
[
  {
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
    "itemListElement": [
        {"@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/"},{"@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "FT Cases", "item": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/cases/"},{"@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "F&B", "item": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/food-wine/"}
        ,{"@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Custom Food Import Agency, Full Process Analysis of Compliance Customs Clearance - Zhongshen Trading China"}
    ]
  },
  {
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "Article",
  	
  	"url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/food-wine/custom-food-import-agency-compliance-process-analysis.html",
      "headline": "Custom Food Import Agency, Full Process Analysis of Compliance Customs Clearance - Zhongshen Trading China",
      "keywords": "Custom Food Import Agency, Food Import Compliance, Import Agency Process",
      "articleSection": "Food and beverages",
      "image": [
  		        "https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/food/pboGHbCiiJyVt.webp"
  		],"description": "In 2026，the custom food import market in Shanghai continues to grow rapidly，with many enterprises stuck in customs clearance delays due to complex compliance requirements and tedious commodity inspection procedures. The core issue is how to balance import efficiency and food safety compliance. Mr. Chen，a senior consultant at Zhongshen，pointed out that custom food has specialized formulations and scattered origins，requiring targeted solutions to pain points such as label review and quarantine approval，and agency services can help enterprises avoid over 80% of compliance risks.。",
      "datePublished": "2026-08-21T16:27:54Z",
      "dateModified": "2026-08-21T16:27:54Z"
  	
      ,"isPartOf": {
        "@type": "WebPage",
        "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/food-wine/",
        "name": "Food and beverages"
      },
      "inLanguage":"en",
      "publisher":{ "@id":"https://www.ok-tool.com/#organization" }
  }
]
```