---
title: "Full Process Compliance Guide for Food Import Customs Clearance Agency - Zhongshen Trading China"
description: "In 2026，the value of imported prepackaged food at Shanghai Port exceeded 12 billion yuan，with a year-on-year growth of 18%. However，differences in quarantine standards across countries and document compliance issues often cause customs clearance delays. Manager Chen from Zhongshen pointed out that pre-audit of documents and accurate code declaration are the core measures，which can help enterprises shorten customs clearance time by 30% and avoid over 40% of compliance risks.。"
url: "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/food-wine/food-import-customs-clearance-compliance-guide.html"
language: "en"
type: "Article"
category: "Food and beverages"
datePublished: "2026-10-01"
dateModified: "2026-10-01"
brand: "Zhongshen Trading China"
image: "https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/food/9F6fkPzrYVaq4.webp"
---

# Full Process Compliance Guide for Food Import Customs Clearance Agency

## Prepackaged Food Import at Shanghai Port: Background and Common Pain Points

According to Shanghai Customs data,the value of imported prepackaged food at the port reached 12.7 billion yuan in the first quarter of 2026,up 18.2% year on year,among which Chilean cherries,New Zealand kiwifruit and EU dairy products account for over 42% of the total.These foods are deeply loved by domestic consumers for their unique taste and stable quality,but traders often encounter blockages during the import process:

![Full Process Compliance Guide for Food Import Customs Clearance Agency](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/food/9F6fkPzrYVaq4.webp)

- Quarantine standards vary greatly across countries.For example,EU dairy products require a pasteurization certificate,while New Zealand only requires a health certificate.Some enterprises lack required certificates due to confused requirements;
- Chinese label compliance is hard to control.After the update of GB 7718-2024 standard,the requirement for "food contact material identification" is added,and many enterprises have their goods returned because they fail to update labels in time;
- The customs clearance process is poorly connected.Commodity inspection sampling and customs declaration are not synchronized,which often leads to cargo detention at the port for 3-7 days,and fresh fruits may even suffer losses due to deterioration.

## Zhongshen: Core Support for Food Import Customs Clearance

In response to the above pain points,Zhongshen relies on 20 years of industry experience to focus on compliance and efficiency improvement of the whole food import process.Manager Chen introduced that the team will establish exclusive service files for each customer,providing one-stop services from document pre-audit before cargo shipment,to customs declaration and commodity inspection connection at the port,and to subsequent warehousing and distribution."Our core advantage is ’prevention in advance’ -- we solve over 90% of compliance issues before the cargo arrives at the port,to avoid port detention."

## Disassembly of the Whole Food Import Customs Clearance Process: Professional Practices of Zhongshen

### I.Document Pre-audit: Pass the "First Check" Before Import

Document requirements for prepackaged food import are far higher than those for ordinary goods,and the core compliance points include:

| Document Type | Special Requirements for Prepackaged Food | Zhongshen Support Key Points |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Chinese Label | 12 items including nutrition fact table,ingredient list,country of origin,shelf life,food contact material identification are required,complying with GB 7718-2024 standard | Provide label pre-audit templates,customize audit points for food from different countries.For example,Chilean cherries need to be marked with "Country of Origin: Chile" and "Storage Method: Refrigerated at 0-4" |
| Official Certificates | Health certificate and quarantine certificate issued by the official authority of the exporting country are required,and certificate of origin is also required for some countries such as the EU | Connect with exporting country agents in advance to confirm whether the certificate format meets China’s commodity inspection requirements.For example,we helped customers supplement the orchard registration number for New Zealand kiwifruit in 2026 |
| Pre-approval | Certificate of Inspection and Quarantine for Inbound Goods is required before import,and import food hygiene registration is required for some dairy products in advance | Assist customers to submit approval materials and follow up approval progress,shortening the average approval time by 2 working days |

Actual case: In November 2025,a Shanghai trading company planned to import 5 containers of German dark chocolate.It failed to notice the newly added food contact material identification requirement in GB 7718-2024,so only "Packaging Material: Paper" was marked on the label,without clarifying "food contact grade".After Supervisor Gu’s team found the problem,they immediately contacted the German exporter to supplement the label,and submitted a pre-audit application to the commodity inspection department at the same time.Finally,the cargo directly entered the commodity inspection process after arriving at the port without detention.

### II.Port Customs Declaration: Accurate Declaration to Avoid "Code Errors"

![Full Process Compliance Guide for Food Import Customs Clearance Agency](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/7abMQUlJ7RUFG.webp)

The core of port customs declaration is the accuracy of commodity code (HS code).Codes for prepackaged food vary greatly due to different ingredients and processes,for example:

- Milk-containing beverages (milk content in ingredients ≥30%) have code 04029900 with 10% tariff; pure milk (only raw cow milk as ingredient) has code 04012000 with 5% tariff;
- Fermented milk (fermented by lactic acid bacteria) has code 04031000 with 8% tariff; pasteurized milk has code 04011000 with 5% tariff.

Code errors will not only lead to overpaid tariffs,but also may cause random inspection due to non-conformity with commodity inspection requirements.Zhongshen’s practices are as follows:

**1.Code pre-confirmation**: Before cargo shipment,the team will conduct pre-confirmation through the General Administration of Customs code query system based on the ingredient list and process description provided by customers,and contact the customs business department for verification when necessary;

**2.Tariff preference utilization**: For countries that have signed free trade agreements with China such as Chile and New Zealand,confirm whether they meet tariff reduction and exemption conditions.For example,Chilean cherries enjoy 0 tariff,and preferential certificate of origin is required;

**3.Customs declaration pre-entry**: Complete pre-entry of customs declaration forms in advance,submit declaration immediately after cargo arrives at the port,shortening the average customs declaration time by 1.5 working days.

Additional case: In February 2026,a customer imported New Zealand kiwifruit,and mistakenly filled the code of fresh kiwifruit as frozen kiwifruit,leading to the tariff changing from 0% under free trade agreement to 12%.Zhongshen’s customs declaration team found the error during pre-entry,corrected it immediately and re-declared,helping the customer save about 150,000 yuan in tariffs.

### III.Commodity Inspection Sampling: Efficient Connection to Avoid "Freshness Loss"

The core of prepackaged food commodity inspection is safety index testing.Testing items vary for different types of food:

- Fresh fruits: Test pesticide residues such as imidacloprid,heavy metals such as lead,and quarantinable pests such as Mediterranean fruit fly;
- Dairy products: Test microorganisms such as total bacterial count,melamine,and food additives such as potassium sorbate;
- Chocolate: Test theobromine content,heavy metals such as cadmium,and trans fatty acids.

Zhongshen’s optimization measures for the commodity inspection process include:

**1.Sampling coordination**: Communicate with the commodity inspection department in advance about sampling time,arrange special personnel to wait at the port to ensure sampling is completed within 1 hour after cargo arrives at the port;

**2.Testing progress follow-up**: Establish a testing progress ledger,follow up testing results daily.For example,fresh fruit testing takes 3-5 days,and the team will coordinate priority testing;

**3.Non-conformity handling plan**: If minor non-conformity is found in testing such as label defects,assist customers to provide supplementary materials to avoid cargo return; if there is serious non-conformity such as excessive microorganisms,handle it according to regulations to reduce losses.

Case: In March 2026,after a batch of Chilean cherries arrived at the port,the commodity inspection department required sampling test for pesticide residues.Supervisor Gu’s team contacted the commodity inspection laboratory in advance,coordinated to shorten the testing time from 5 days to 3 days.The cargo successfully entered the Shanghai market before the weekend,avoiding about 180,000 yuan of losses caused by cherry deterioration.

## Value of Zhongshen: Efficiency Improvement and Risk Avoidance

On the whole,Zhongshen’s food import agency services can bring the following values to customers:

- **Shortened customs clearance time**: The average customs clearance time is shortened from 7 days to 3 days,and the customs clearance time for fresh food is shortened to less than 2 days;
- **Reduced compliance risks**: Pre-audit covers over 90% of document issues,and no return caused by compliance issues has occurred in the past 3 years;
- **Cost saving**: Accurate code declaration avoids overpaid tariffs,and commodity inspection process coordination reduces warehousing costs,saving customers 15%-20% of costs on average.

Manager Chen said that in the future,Zhongshen will continue to focus on compliance and efficiency of food import,develop exclusive traceability services in advance in response to the newly added imported food traceability system requirement in 2026,to help customers better cope with market changes.

## Related Resources
- [Food and beverages](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/food-wine/)
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