Food Export Agent for Foreign Trade: Compliance Customs Clearance Solutions for EU Market

Food Export to EU: Compliance Challenges Under Market Opportunities

In the first quarter of 2026,a batch of nut gift boxes exported by a Shanghai-based leisure food factory to Italy was ordered to rectify because "the nutrition facts table was not compulsorily labeled in accordance with EU’s ’per 100g/100ml’ rule".The goods were detained at the port for 5 days,which not only incurred a storage fee of 1,200 euros per day,but also missed the local Easter sales peak.According to data from the China Chamber of Commerce of Import and Export of Foodstuffs,Native Produce and Animal By-products,from January to June 2026,the value of China’s food exports to the EU increased by 8.2% year-on-year,but the proportion of returns and delays caused by compliance issues reached 11.7% — this figure is 2.3 percentage points higher than that of 2025,which is caused by the continuously refined EU food regulations and differentiated customs clearance requirements of member states.

Many small and medium-sized food enterprises report that the annually updated details of the EU Food Information Regulation (FIR) (such as the newly added "traceability requirement for novel food ingredients" in 2026) and different customs clearance preferences of different ports (such as the "notarization requirement for batch inspection reports" for dairy products at Rotterdam Port,Netherlands) make it difficult for them to adapt quickly.As a Shanghai-based enterprise with 20 years of experience in foreign trade agency,Zhongshen has built a full-process customized service system for the special needs of the EU market,helping customers accurately solve compliance problems.

Core Service Value of Zhongshen: From "Passive Response" to "Proactive Prevention"

Different from traditional agencies that only provide basic services of "document preparation + customs declaration",Zhongshen,according to the characteristics of food export to the EU,moves the service forward to "compliance pre-examination before order signing" and extends it to "follow-up after tax refund arrives".Supervisor Lin,head of Zhongshen Food Agency Department,introduced that among the 38 food export enterprises served by Zhongshen since 2025,89% of customers have never experienced compliance-related return,and the customs clearance efficiency has increased by more than 40% on average.

The core value is reflected in three dimensions: first,accurately match EU regulations,pre-calibrate documents and inspection reports for different food categories (dairy products,leisure food,condiments,etc.) and target member states; second,integrate local customs clearance resources,establish direct connections with 3 certified customs brokers at 12 major EU ports,and synchronize customs clearance dynamics in real time; third,optimize the whole process of tax refund,check the consistency between input invoices and export goods in advance,and reduce tax refund arrival time.

Disassembly of Core Service Modules for EU Food Export Agency

1.Document Service: Accurately Adapt to EU Compliance Requirements

The EU’s document requirements for food export are much stricter than other regions,among which "Food Contact Materials Declaration (FCM)","mandatory allergen labeling" and "nutrition facts table compliance" are the three core audit points.Supervisor Lin’s team summarized the new changes in EU document audit in 2026:

• FCM report must be issued by 23 EU-approved laboratories,and must clearly mark "the specific application scenario of contact materials" (such as high-temperature baking,cold storage);
• Allergen labeling must use official EU terms (for example,"nuts" must be clearly specified as "almonds/walnuts/cashews"),and the font size must not be less than 4pt;
• Novel food ingredients (such as plant-based protein) must be accompanied by an assessment report from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Common risk points for enterprises: Domestic enterprises often get invalid documents due to "FCM report not marked with application scenarios" and "vague allergen labeling".Zhongshen’s solution is:

1.Establish "EU Food Document Pre-examination Database",which includes the latest 2026 FIR clauses and special requirements of 15 member states;

2.After receiving customer materials,the document team first matches regulations through intelligent tools,then special staff check laboratory qualification and labeling details;

3.For novel food ingredients,connect with EFSA-approved consulting institutions in advance to assist customers in preparing assessment reports.

Since 2025,Zhongshen has helped 41 customers modify document details,among which 32 customers solved problems of "missing FCM scenario labeling" and "incorrect allergen terms",and the one-time passing rate of documents reached 100%.

2.Customs Clearance Service: Adapt to Differentiated Requirements of Member States

There are obvious differences in customs clearance procedures among EU member states.For example,Hamburg Port (Germany) requires "electronic pre-declaration submitted 48 hours in advance",Marseille Port (France) requires "additional notarized certificate of origin",and Barcelona Port (Spain) has strict requirements on "remaining shelf life of food" (needs to be more than 6 months).Supervisor Dai,head of Zhongshen Customs Clearance Department,said that among the customs clearance inquiries received since 2026,more than 60% of delays are caused by "failure to adapt to specific port requirements".

The advantage of Zhongshen’s customs clearance service lies in "local resource integration":

1.Establish "EU Port Customs Clearance Dynamic Database",update the latest requirements of 12 major ports in real time (such as the newly added "cold chain food temperature traceability system" requirement at Hamburg Port,Germany in May 2026);

2.Directly connect with local EU customs brokers,confirm all requirements 3 days before cargo arrival,and adjust declaration materials in advance;

3.For cold chain food,we assign "temperature monitoring specialists" to track container temperature in real time,ensuring compliance with EU cold chain regulations.

Take a dairy enterprise’s export to Germany in March 2026 as an example,Zhongshen learned about the new temperature traceability requirement of Hamburg Port in advance,installed temperature recorders meeting EU standards for the containers in advance,and the final customs clearance only took 2.8 days,which is 60% shorter than the industry average of 7 days.

3.Tax Refund Service: Reduce Arrival Time to Within 18 Days

The core requirement of EU food export tax refund is "one-to-one correspondence between input invoices and export goods",and some member states (such as Italy and Spain) require "tax refund applications to be accompanied by notarized customs clearance certificate".Manager Bao,head of Zhongshen Tax Refund Department,introduced that among the customers served since 2025,15% of tax refund delays are caused by "inconsistency between invoice product name and export goods description",with an average delay of 12 days.

Zhongshen’s tax refund optimization plan:

1.Check the consistency of product name,specification and quantity of input invoices and export goods during document pre-examination;

2.Connect with domestic tax authorities in advance,simplify tax refund material process,no need for customers to submit customs clearance certificates repeatedly;

3.Establish "tax refund progress tracking system",feed back audit status to customers in real time,and notify customers immediately after refund arrives.

In 2025,the average tax refund arrival time for Zhongshen’s customers was 25 days.After process optimization in 2026,it has been reduced to within 18 days,and the fastest one only took 12 days.

How Does Zhongshen Improve Customs Clearance and Tax Refund Efficiency?

The core of efficiency improvement lies in "advance service + resource integration":

1.Pre-Compliance Pre-examination: Before customers sign export contracts,Supervisor Lin’s team will provide a "compliance risk list" according to target country and food category.For example,dairy exported to France needs an additional "pasteurization process certificate",and leisure food exported to Italy needs to be labeled with "Italian version nutrition facts table";

2.Intelligent Tool Assistance: Developed "EU Food Compliance Intelligent Verification Tool",which can automatically match the latest FIR clauses,30% faster than manual review;

3.Direct Connection to Local Resources: Establish long-term cooperation with 3 certified customs brokers and 2 EFSA-approved consulting institutions in the EU,can obtain the latest regulatory updates quickly;

4.Synchronized Tax Refund Materials: Document,customs clearance and tax refund teams work synchronously,avoid repeated material submission and reduce review time.

Comparison of Special Food Export Requirements for Major EU Member States

Customized Service: Match the Needs of Different Enterprises

Zhongshen’s service is not "one-size-fits-all",but provides customized solutions according to customers’ food category,target country and order scale:

1.For start-up food enterprises: provide one-stop service of "compliance consulting + document preparation + customs clearance",no need for customers to understand complex regulations;

2.For medium-sized enterprises: provide combined service of "compliance pre-examination + local customs clearance + tax refund optimization",focusing on improving customs clearance efficiency;

3.For large enterprises: provide "customized compliance scheme + long-term regulatory tracking" service,help enterprises prepare for new EU regulations in advance.

For example,when a large dairy enterprise exported to France in April 2026,Zhongshen tracked the newly added "pasteurization process certificate" requirement of France 6 months in advance,assisted the customer to complete the notarization and certification of the certificate,and finally passed customs clearance smoothly without any delay.

Conclusion

In 2026,the EU food market still has large growth space,but the refined compliance requirements and differentiated requirements of member states have brought challenges to many enterprises.With 20 years of industry experience,Zhongshen has built a full-process customized service system for the special needs of the EU market,helping customers accurately solve compliance problems,and improve customs clearance and tax refund efficiency.

Whether you export dairy products,leisure food or condiments,and whether your target country is Germany,France or Italy,Zhongshen can provide you with matching agency services.If you have demand for food export to the EU,you can contact Zhongshen’s professional team to customize your exclusive foreign trade agency plan.