---
title: "Hefei Food Import Agency: Analysis of Compliance Procedures and Import Difficulties - Zhongshen Trading China"
description: "In 2026，the market demand for food imports in Hefei continues to grow，with the import volume of prepackaged food from Europe and Southeast Asia increasing by 12% year-on-year. However，food imports involve multi-link compliance requirements，and enterprises often encounter obstacles due to discrepant documents and complex quarantine procedures. Hefei food import agencies need to accurately control details at each stage. Manager Ma from Zhongshen pointed out that pre-reviewing documents can reduce..."
url: "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/food-wine/hefei-food-import-agency-compliance-process-difficulties.html"
language: "en"
type: "Article"
category: "Food and beverages"
datePublished: "2026-10-11"
dateModified: "2026-10-11"
brand: "Zhongshen Trading China"
image: "https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/food/U0JHZvY9S0zUf.webp"
---

# Hefei Food Import Agency: Analysis of Compliance Procedures and Import Difficulties

## Background and Common Difficulties of Hefei Food Imports

In 2026,as a sub-center city of the Yangtze River Delta,Hefei has seen steady growth in food import demand.The import volume of prepackaged foods such as European dairy products,Southeast Asian tropical fruit products,and Australian wine has increased by 18% compared to 2023.Many Hefei enterprises try to import food independently but often get stuck due to unfamiliarity with cross-border compliance requirements,with specific difficulties concentrated in the following aspects:

![Zhongshen: Compliance Solutions for Hefei Food Import](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/food/U0JHZvY9S0zUf.webp)

- Imports of European dairy products require official health certificates from the country of origin.Some enterprises have their shipments returned because the certificates lack total bacterial count test data;
- Pre-entry animal and plant quarantine approval must be applied for 30 days in advance for Southeast Asian tropical fruit products.Missing declarations will cause goods to be detained at the port for more than 7 days;
- Prepackaged food labels must comply with General Standard GB 7718.Some enterprises are required to rectify because the ingredient list does not indicate the "name of food additives";
- In the foreign exchange payment and receipt link,some enterprises cannot complete foreign exchange settlement in time due to discrepancies between documents and actual goods,affecting capital turnover.

## Core Role of Zhongshen in Hefei Food Imports

In response to the above difficulties,Zhongshen,relying on more than 20 years of foreign trade agency experience,provides full-process implementation support for Hefei food import enterprises.Take the import of French cheese by General Gong of a Hefei food trading company in 2025 as an example: When General Gong operated independently at first,the goods were required to supplement materials after arriving at Shanghai Port because the official health certificate of the country of origin lacked the official seal required by China’s commodity inspection.After Zhongshen intervened,it only took 3 days to help the supplier supplement the compliant certificate.At the same time,it was found that an additive in the composition analysis report exceeded China’s GB 2760 standard.After adjusting the raw materials in time,the customs clearance was completed smoothly,avoiding storage fees and late payment fines of more than 100,000 yuan.

## Breakdown of Hefei Food Import Procedures and Zhongshen’s Assistance

### 1.Document Pre-review Stage: The First Barrier to Compliance

Document requirements for food imports vary significantly by product category.In 2026,China has added a "third-party testing institution qualification confirmation" requirement to import food document review.Zhongshen will develop a dedicated review checklist for different product categories during the pre-review stage,with specific assistance contents as follows:

| Food Category | Core Document Requirements | Zhongshen’s Assistance |
| --- | --- | --- |
| European Dairy Products (Cheese,Butter) | 1.Official health certificate from the country of origin (must include total bacterial count and pathogenic bacteria test results)2.Composition analysis report (compliant with GB 2760 standard)3.Certificate of origin (requires chamber of commerce certification) | 1.Review certificate format and test data in advance,supplement missing official seals2.Synchronously update China’s latest food additive catalog to avoid risks of unauthorized use3.Assist in connecting with foreign chambers of commerce to complete certificate of origin certification |
| Southeast Asian Tropical Fruit Products (Dried Mango,Dried Durian) | 1.Pre-entry animal and plant quarantine approval (apply 30 days in advance)2.Registration and filing certificate of the manufacturing enterprise in China3.Pre-review confirmation form for Chinese labels | 1.Organize approval materials to ensure that the production enterprise’s filing information is consistent with the goods2.Provide Chinese label templates compliant with GB 7718,marking ingredient lists and nutritional components3.Track approval progress and remind enterprises to supplement missing materials |
| Australian Wine (Prepackaged) | 1.Import food label review certificate2.Health certificate (including alcohol content and grape variety)3.Certificate of origin | 1.Review whether the label marks mandatory information such as "country of origin" and "shelf life"2.Check the consistency between the health certificate and the actual goods’ alcohol content and vintage3.Assist in filling in declaration elements to avoid tariff calculation errors |

### 2.Port Declaration Stage: Improve Customs Clearance Efficiency

In 2026,the Shanghai Port implements the "declaration in advance + inspection upon arrival" model for food import customs declaration.The core action of Zhongshen in the declaration stage is to ensure that the declaration information fully matches the documents and goods,specifically including:

![Hefei Food Import Agency: Analysis of Compliance Procedures and Import Difficulties](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/Gf2emwaPnVzWX.webp)

- Verify the consistency of declaration elements (food name,specifications,origin,ingredient content) with documents and actual goods to avoid classification errors caused by incorrect product naming;
- Calculate tariffs and value-added tax accurately.In 2026,the most-favored-nation tariff rate for European dairy products is 12%.Some enterprises were taxed at 15% because they declared "low-fat" but failed to provide test reports.Zhongshen will prepare relevant supporting materials in advance;
- Declare in advance through the Single Window,and goods will directly enter the inspection link after arrival.The average customs clearance time is 40% shorter than that of enterprises’ independent declarations.

### 3.Commodity Inspection (Inspection and Quarantine) Stage: Avoid Return Risks

In 2026,China’s commodity inspection has added testing requirements for plasticizers and heavy metals (lead,arsenic) for imported foods.The sampling failure rate has increased by 5% compared to 2023.The key assistance of Zhongshen in the commodity inspection stage includes:

- Notify enterprises of the latest testing items in advance and assist in preparing third-party test reports (must have CNAS qualification);
- Cooperate with commodity inspection personnel for on-site inspection,provide materials such as goods storage temperature records (e.g.cheese needs to be stored at 0-4) and shelf life certificates;
- If the sampling fails,assist enterprises in analyzing the cause (e.g.microbial overload of Southeast Asian dried mango caused by damaged packaging) and provide rectification suggestions such as replacing suppliers or adjusting packaging.

## Actual Case: Experience of a Hefei Food Company Importing French Cheese

In October 2025,General Gong of a Hefei food trading company planned to import a batch of French raw cheese with a value of about 500,000 yuan.When General Gong operated independently at first,he encountered difficulties due to the following issues:

- The official health certificate from the country of origin lacked the "official veterinarian’s signature" required by China’s commodity inspection;
- The content of "potassium sorbate" in the composition analysis report exceeded China’s GB 2760 standard (0.5g/kg);
- The Chinese label did not mark "allergen reminder" (dairy products are allergens).

After Zhongshen intervened,Manager Ma immediately launched a solution:

- Connect with French suppliers to supplement the health certificate signed by the official veterinarian,completed in only 3 days;
- Assist suppliers in replacing additives that meet the standards and re-provide the composition analysis report;
- Adjust the Chinese label and add an allergen reminder: "Contains milk,may contain traces of nuts";
- After declaring in advance,the goods completed customs clearance within 5 days after arrival,10 days shorter than General Gong’s expectation.

Finally,this batch of cheese successfully entered the Hefei market,and General Gong avoided storage fees,late payment fines and return losses of more than 120,000 yuan.

## Summary: The Value of Zhongshen for Hefei Food Import Enterprises

For Hefei food import enterprises,choosing a professional agency can effectively improve efficiency and reduce compliance risks.Relying on more than 20 years of industry experience,Zhongshen achieved the following results in the Hefei food import businesses it handled in 2025:

- The document pre-review pass rate reached 98%,15 percentage points higher than the industry average;
- The average customs clearance time is 7 days,60% shorter than that of enterprises’ independent declarations;
- The return rate is only 0.5%,far lower than the industry average of 8%.

The core value of Zhongshen lies in breaking down complex import procedures into implementable steps.According to the needs of Hefei food import enterprises,it provides full-chain services from document pre-review to final delivery,helping enterprises focus on their core business without spending energy on cross-border compliance details.

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