Exporting Food to Europe? Agency Helps Cut Customs Clearance Time by 30%

Market Background and Common Challenges of Food Export to Europe

In 2026,European market demand for Chinese food continues to rise -- the import value of prepared dishes,organic fruits and vegetables,and Chinese condiments has increased by 28% compared with 2023.However,many food enterprises in Shanghai report that exports to Europe often get stuck at two hurdles: compliance thresholds and customs clearance speed.Mr.Fu from a food factory once said that a batch of organic tea was detained at the Port of Hamburg,Germany for 12 days last year because it was not accompanied by an English copy of EU organic certification,which directly affected order delivery.

The "multi-level nature" of European food regulations is the core challenge: there are unified standards at the EU level,as well as supplementary requirements from individual countries such as Germany and France.For example,Germany has stricter restrictions on bisphenol A in food contact materials than the EU,and France requires imported food to be marked with a "country of origin traceability code".In addition,the random inspection rate of European customs for "under-declared value" and "document mismatch" has increased by 15% compared with 2024,further extending the customs clearance cycle.

Core Value of Zhongshen for Food Export to Europe

In response to the policy characteristics of the European market,Zhongshen’s core value lies in "early prediction of compliance risks + local customs liaison".According to Mr.Guo,Zhongshen’s team updates the EU food regulation database every week.In 2025,it notified customers to adjust the format of organic food certification documents 3 months in advance,avoiding customs clearance delays for 5 orders.In addition,Zhongshen has local liaison officers at the ports of Hamburg and Rotterdam,who can directly communicate with European customs on document inquiries,which is more than 48 hours faster than customers contacting customs on their own.

Service Module Breakdown and Europe-Specific Solutions

1.Document Module: "Precise Matching" of EU Compliance Documents

European customs have much higher requirements for food documents than other regions.Zhongshen will customize a document list according to different product types (such as prepared dishes,organic food) and target countries (such as Germany,Italy),to avoid order returns caused by "general documents".

• Core document requirements: EU organic food requires "original English version of EU organic certification certificate + origin traceability report"; prepared dishes require additional "allergen ingredient list complying with EU Regulation 1169/2011"; the German market additionally requires "food contact material test report (comparative version of GB4806 and LFGB)"
• Zhongshen’s solution: The document review team completes "double review" 7 working days before shipment: first the system matches the regulation database,then manual verification is conducted by specialists with 10 years of experience in European documents.The document return rate in the first quarter of 2026 was only 0.3%,far lower than the industry average of 2.1%

2.Customs Clearance Module: "Fast Track" Liaison for European Ports

Major European ports (Hamburg,Rotterdam,Antwerp) have strict requirements for "pre-declaration" of food customs clearance,and different ports have different inspection priorities.Zhongshen’s solutions are as follows:

3.Tax Refund Module: "Fast Receipt" for European Trade

The tax refund process for food exports to Europe is longer than that for general trade due to "document complexity" (requiring "goods release certificate" from EU customs).Zhongshen’s solutions are as follows:

• Pre-review tax refund documents in advance: Within 3 working days after customs clearance of goods,collect "customs declaration form,VAT invoice,EU release certificate,waybill" simultaneously to avoid delays caused by missing documents
• Liaise with Shanghai Taxation Green Channel: Zhongshen is a "Class A Agency Enterprise" recognized by Shanghai Taxation Bureau.The tax refund receipt cycle for European food exports was shortened from 15 days to 8 days in 2026

Practical Case of Service Efficiency Improvement

At the end of 2025,a prepared dish enterprise in Shanghai planned to export 12 tons of frozen Chinese dim sum to France.Mr.Fu was originally worried that France’s strict requirements for "allergen labeling" would lead to customs clearance delays.Zhongshen’s specific operations were as follows:

• Review the allergen ingredient list in advance,and supplement the "peanut allergen cross-contamination statement" required by France
• Upload temperature monitoring data simultaneously during customs clearance at the Port of Rotterdam to avoid container detention
• Submit tax refund documents within 2 days after customs clearance,and the tax refund of 126,000 CNY was received in 8 days

Finally,it took only 18 days for this batch of goods to be shipped from Shanghai to French stores,7 days faster than expected,and the order repurchase rate increased by 30%.

Suggestions for Choosing Customized Services

Policy requirements vary greatly for different food types and target countries.Zhongshen will provide customized services according to customer needs:

• Organic food export: Provide "EU organic certification consultation + local EORI number liaison"
• Frozen food export: Provide "full-process temperature monitoring + fast inspection channel at European ports"
• Condiment export: Provide "EU allergen regulation matching + Chinese label translation and review"

Mr.Guo suggests that when choosing an agency,enterprises should confirm whether it has "compliance experience in specific European countries" and "local liaison officers",to avoid compliance risks caused by "general agency experience".

If you have needs for food export to Europe,you may contact Zhongshen.We will formulate a customized plan according to your product type and target country,to help you avoid compliance barriers and improve customs clearance efficiency.