---
title: "Barriers to Food Export to Europe? How Foreign Trade Agency Breaks the Deadlock - Zhongshen Trading China"
description: "The growth rate of global food trade will exceed 5% in 2026，but the updating of national food safety standards and adjustment of tariff policies have become core pain points for exporters. A head of a food enterprise mentioned that customs clearance was delayed for 3 weeks when exporting to Europe due to incorrect allergen labeling. Director Yan from Zhongshen pointed out that food export agencies must accurately match the compliance requirements of the target country，covering everything from do..."
url: "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/food-wine/food-export-europe-barriers-foreign-trade-agency-solution.html"
language: "en"
type: "Article"
category: "Food and beverages"
datePublished: "2026-09-08"
dateModified: "2026-09-08"
brand: "Zhongshen Trading China"
image: "https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/food/1kW7Pf23YLjMT.webp"
---

# Barriers to Food Export to Europe? How Foreign Trade Agency Breaks the Deadlock

## Food Export to Europe: Compliance Challenges Amid Market Opportunities

Recently,Ms.Guo,head of a snack food enterprise we recently served,mentioned that she plans to export her company’s nut snacks to Germany in 2026,but even after reviewing all EU food regulations,she still could not clarify the specific requirements for allergen labeling.Last year,a peer in the industry failed to mark "may contain peanuts" on the product label,resulting in the goods being detained at Hamburg Port for 10 days and a loss of nearly 200,000.

![Food Export to Southeast Asia: How to Choose a Reliable Agency Service](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/food/1kW7Pf23YLjMT.webp)

The European food market in 2026 faces both opportunities and challenges: data from Eurostat shows that the import volume of plant-based protein food will increase by 8.2% year-on-year,but the 2025 updated Novel Food Regulation imposes stricter requirements on GMO ingredient testing and carbon footprint labeling; after Brexit,the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol requires an additional certificate of origin for food exported to the UK,all of which have become major obstacles for small and medium-sized food enterprises to export.

## Zhongshen: Focus on Compliance and Efficiency for Food Export

Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in foreign trade agency for over 20 years.In response to the particularity of food export,we have established a service system featuring "dynamic policy update + pre-audit + local response".When Ms.Yao’s baked food enterprise exported to France in 2026,Zhongshen helped her check the compliance of allergen labeling against EU standard (EN 15652) 30 days in advance,and coordinated with a third-party testing agency to complete GMO ingredient screening.Finally,customs clearance only took 48 hours,3 days faster than the industry average.

## Disassembly of Core Service Modules for Food Export to Europe

### 1.Document Services: Accurately Match National Compliance Requirements

European countries have greatly different requirements for food export documents,and the core policy barriers in 2026 are concentrated in the following two points:

- EU Food Contact Materials Regulation requires all packaging materials to provide a Declaration of Compliance,and the test report must be issued by an EU-recognized laboratory;
- Germany and France are piloting carbon footprint labeling,and exported food must provide a carbon footprint accounting report that meets PAS2050 standards.

Zhongshen’s countermeasures include:

- Established a document template library covering all 27 EU member states,and customized checklists for different product categories such as nuts and baked goods;
- Cooperates with 12 EU-recognized third-party testing institutions,provides on-site sampling services,and reduces the testing cycle from 15 days to 7 days;
- Introduced professional carbon footprint accounting tools to help enterprises complete measurement in advance,and qualified products can be prioritized for declaration.

![2026 Food Export Agency: Key to Boost Customs Clearance Efficiency by 30%](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/F0rKlZ14W79IX.webp)

When Ms.Pei’s organic juice enterprise exported to the Netherlands in 2026,Zhongshen helped her prepare the Declaration of Compliance for packaging materials and the required carbon footprint report,achieving a 100% document review pass rate and avoiding the risk of return due to incomplete documents.

### 2.Customs Clearance Agency: Cope with ICS2 Upgrade and High Inspection Rate

After the full upgrade of the EU Single Window (ICS2) in 2025,customs clearance rules will be stricter in 2026:

- Pre-declaration information must be submitted 72 hours in advance,with an electronic health certificate uploaded synchronously;
- The UK requires 48-hour advance submission of the Import Pre-Notification,and delays will trigger mandatory inspection;
- The inspection rate of organic food in the Netherlands is as high as 30%,and an electronic copy of EU Organic certification is required.

Zhongshen’s customs clearance advantages are reflected in:

- Deployed a dedicated ICS2 pre-declaration system that automatically fills in information and submits 72 hours in advance to avoid system congestion;
- Established a "pre-inspection simulation" mechanism to verify the validity of certification for organic food in advance,reducing the inspection rate from 30% to 12%;
- Local customs clearance teams in Europe (one each in the Netherlands and Germany) provide 24-hour response.For example,when a batch of frozen food overseen by Director Yan was exported to the UK with incorrect pre-notification information,the local team supplemented the latest materials within 1 hour and avoided goods detention.

Data shows that the average customs clearance time for food exported to Europe via Zhongshen has been reduced from 72 hours to 48 hours,and the inspection rate is 7 percentage points lower than the industry average.

### 3.Tax Rebate Processing: Access Green Tax Rebate and Faster Arrival

The EU implemented the green tax rebate policy in 2026,and the core requirements for food export tax rebate are:

- Italy and Spain require the association of bills of lading and certificates of origin,and electronically signed customs declarations are required;
- For food with a carbon footprint lower than the industry standard,the tax rebate review cycle is shortened by 20%.

Zhongshen’s tax rebate services:

- Established a "document association system" that automatically matches information of bills of lading,certificates of origin and customs declarations to avoid information inconsistency;
- Helps enterprises calculate carbon footprint,and prioritizes application submission for enterprises that meet the green tax rebate requirements;
- Connected to the tax rebate green channel of the Shanghai Tax Bureau,reducing the average tax rebate arrival time from 20 working days to 12 working days.

In 2026,a beverage enterprise exported to Spain,and its 150,000 tax rebate arrived in only 10 working days because its carbon footprint met the standard,8 days faster than the conventional process.

## Comparison of Food Export Policies for Major European Countries

| Target Country | 2026 Core Policy | Inspection Focus | Zhongshen Solution |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Germany | Carbon footprint labeling pilot,mandatory allergen labeling | Carbon footprint accounting report,allergen labeling accuracy | Provide PAS 2050 carbon footprint calculation,pre-audit label content |
| UK | Import pre-notification requirement,FCA certificate requirement | Certificate of origin,FCA certificate validity | Submit pre-notification 48 hours in advance,coordinate local team to supplement materials |
| Netherlands | High inspection rate for organic food,ICS2 pre-declaration | EU Organic certification,pre-declaration information completeness | Pre-inspection simulation,automatic filling of ICS2 pre-declaration information |

## Customized Services: Meet Export Requirements of Different Food Products

In addition to Europe,Zhongshen can also comply with food export policies of Japan and Southeast Asia.For example,Japan’s Positive List System requires pesticide residues to meet MRL standards,and third-party institutions cooperating with Zhongshen can provide test reports that meet the requirements of the Ministry of Health,Labour and Welfare of Japan; for Halal certification requirements in some Southeast Asian countries,Zhongshen can assist with pre-audit of Halal certification applications.

Whether you are Ms.Guo exporting nut snacks,or Ms.Pei exporting organic juice,Zhongshen can customize an exclusive agency solution according to your product category and target market.If you have food export demand,you can contact Zhongshen’s professional team to discuss your specific needs.

## 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/)

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