---
title: "Which Import Food Agency Service is the Best? Three Evaluation Criteria Determine Customs Clearance Success or Failure - Zhongshen Trading China"
description: "Import food supervision is tightening in 2026，and enterprises face dual challenges of compliance and efficiency. This article focuses on the selection criteria for import business agents，breaks down the whole process from document pre-review，port customs declaration to commodity inspection and release，and combines Zhongshen's 20 years of customs declaration experience to analyze how professional agents identify risks and optimize timeliness. Expert perspectives reveal that choosing the righ..."
url: "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/food-wine/import-food-agent-selection-criteria.html"
language: "en"
type: "Article"
category: "Food and beverages"
datePublished: "2026-05-15"
dateModified: "2026-05-15"
brand: "Zhongshen Trading China"
image: "https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/food/X93qaTKd615XJ.webp"
---

# Which Import Food Agency Service is the Best? Three Evaluation Criteria Determine Customs Clearance Success or Failure

## Which Import Food Agency Service is the Best?Check Customs Clearance Timeliness and Compliance Cost First

In the first quarter of 2026,the unqualified rate of random inspection for imported food at Shanghai Port increased by 1.2 percentage points year-on-year,among which label and marking problems accounted for 43%,and microbial over-standard accounted for 29%.Behind this data are a large number of port detention,return and even destruction of goods caused by importers’ unfamiliarity with regulatory details.For dairy products imported from Europe,snack foods imported from Southeast Asia,and frozen meat imported from South America,each category has independent access standards and testing cycles.When selecting agency services,enterprises often fall into the misunderstanding of price comparison,ignoring the agent’s practical operation experience in specific product lines.Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in the food import field for more than 20 years,and has handled various abnormal cases caused by inconsistent certificates,classification errors and label violations.The value of a professional agent does not lie in the quotation level,but in whether it can identify risk points in advance and keep compliance costs within a controllable range.

![Import Food Always Detained by Customs? Professional Agents Handle Compliance Issues This Way](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/food/X93qaTKd615XJ.webp)

## Three Practical Difficulties in Importing Food from Europe

When EU food enters the Chinese market,the first barrier is dynamic management of the access list.In March 2026,the General Administration of Customs updated the *List of Meat Products Exported to China from Countries or Regions Meeting Assessment and Review Requirements*.A whole batch of ham of an Italian brand was intercepted at Pudong Airport because the manufacturer’s registration information expired.The root cause of such problems lies in the connection deviation between the EU official certificate system and the requirements of Chinese customs.The second barrier is ingredient compliance review.Additives commonly used in Europe such as rosemary extract and potassium sorbate have strict use scope restrictions in China,and Chinese warning statements must be clearly marked on pre-packaged food labels.The third barrier is proof of continuity of cold chain transportation.If any section of full-process temperature record data from Rotterdam Port to Yangshan Port is missing,the inspection rate will be increased to more than 90%.These difficulties determine that importers need not a simple customs broker,but a full-process service provider familiar with bilateral regulations and able to coordinate with overseas suppliers.

## Four Key Intervention Points of Zhongshen in the Import Process

### Document Pre-review: Hidden Requirements for Certificate of Origin and Health Certificate

Zhongshen’s operating practice is to start document review before goods are loaded.Taking imported French wine as an example,in addition to conventional certificates of origin and health certificates,attention should also be paid to the matching degree between EU organic product certification and the mutual recognition list of Chinese organic product certification.According to 2026 new regulations,all food exported to China must be attached with a production batch traceability code,which needs to be filed with Chinese customs in advance.Manager Ding once handled a batch of Belgian chocolates.The microbial test report issued by a foreign laboratory did not include the salmonella item,so supplementary testing was required after arrival at the port,resulting in 14 days of port detention.Zhongshen’s pre-review mechanism will check the correspondence between the test item list and Chinese standards to avoid such omissions.The pre-review stage will also verify packaging material declarations.Polyethylene packaging materials need to provide plasticizer migration reports,which is a detail often ignored.

### Port Customs Declaration: Game Between Commodity Code Classification and Price Declaration

Food commodity code classification disputes occur frequently.In 2026,the customs intensified random inspection of pre-classification accuracy,especially the demarcation between functional foods and health foods.Zhongshen’s classification specialist once handled a German imported energy drink.The customs questioned that the added taurine component exceeded the scope of ordinary food,and required it to be supervised as health food.By submitting ingredient function descriptions issued by German authorities and EU market circulation certificates,the original classification was finally maintained,avoiding additional registration and filing cycles.In terms of price declaration,the customs has stricter price review for related party transactions.Zhongshen assists customers in preparing complete pricing policy documents and international market price comparison data to respond to price queries.Another key point in the customs declaration link is license management.The switching node between automatic import licenses and manually approved licenses requires real-time tracking of announcements from the Ministry of Commerce.

### Commodity Inspection and Release: Label Review and Cycle Control of Microbial Testing

![Which Import Food Agency Service is the Best? Three Evaluation Criteria Determine Customs Clearance Success or Failure](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/Gf2emwaPnVzWX.webp)

In 2026,Shanghai Port implemented the "one-time notification" system for imported food label rectification,but enterprises still face rectification time pressure.Zhongshen is equipped with full-time label reviewers,who complete the comparison of Chinese label samples before goods arrive at the port,focusing on checking the order of ingredient lists,the format of nutrition facts tables,and allergen warning statements.There was once a batch of Australian milk powder judged unqualified because the words "infant formula milk powder" on the label did not comply with China’s special dietary food identification regulations.Zhongshen coordinated with overseas factories to reprint packaging,and controlled the overall delay within 7 working days through air freight expediting.The microbial testing cycle is another variable.Zhongshen has established a green channel with laboratories to implement expedited testing for high-risk products,and prepares overseas test reports of the same batch of products in advance as a reference to shorten customs risk assessment time.

### Warehousing and Logistics: Connection Between Temperature-controlled Transportation and In-warehouse Supervision

Imported frozen meat has extremely high requirements for warehousing connection.The bonded cold storage deployed by Zhongshen around Yangshan Port has -18constant temperature and humidity monitoring capability,and in-warehouse temperature data is directly connected to the customs supervision system.In April 2026,a batch of Brazilian frozen beef was delayed due to shipping schedule,and it was 45 days after the production date when it arrived at the port,close to the shelf life critical value.Zhongshen launched an emergency plan,coordinated the port to prioritize unloading,the laboratory to conduct expedited testing,and the customs to work overtime for inspection and release,and divided a special area in the warehouse for isolated storage to avoid cross-contamination.For goods requiring label rectification,the warehouse is equipped with GMP-standard operation rooms to avoid quality risks caused by secondary transportation.This integrated warehousing and distribution capability integrates traditionally scattered customs declaration,warehousing and logistics services into a controllable closed loop.

## Practical Case: Manager Ding’s Imported Dairy Products Customs Clearance Experience

The company where Manager Ding works mainly engages in Greek yogurt import,and encountered a typical problem in early 2026.After the first batch of goods arrived at the port,the customs questioned the naming difference between "Greek-style yogurt" and "Greek yogurt",believing it may mislead consumers.After Zhongshen intervened,it first retrieved EU dairy naming regulations to prove that "Greek-style" is commonly used in the EU market; secondly,it organized experts to demonstrate the compliance of the product process with traditional Greek fermentation processes; finally,it coordinated with Greek authorities to issue process certification documents.The whole communication process lasted three weeks,during which the goods were temporarily stored in the bonded warehouse.Zhongshen avoided high port detention fees through a pre-classification guarantee.Finally,the customs approved the naming of "Greek-style yogurt",but required to add process instructions on the label.This case exposes that importers have insufficient understanding of differences between Chinese and foreign regulations,and the coordination ability of professional agents directly determines the fate of goods.

## 2026 Import Food Supervision Trends and Agency Selection Criteria

In 2026,the General Administration of Customs promotes the "Smart Commodity Inspection" system,implements risk classification management for imported food,and the inspection rate for high-risk enterprises is increased to more than 60%.The customer credit file mechanism established by Zhongshen helps high-quality customers apply for lower inspection frequency through analysis of historical compliance records.When selecting agency services,enterprises should focus on three dimensions: first,whether the agent has operation experience in segmented categories,which are independent for dairy products,meat,aquatic products and snack foods; second,whether it has laboratory resources and customs communication ability,rather than simply submitting materials; third,whether it can provide compliance guidance for overseas suppliers to avoid risks from the source.Price comparison should be based on transparent service modules.Zhongshen adopts itemized quotation,and customs declaration fees,commodity inspection service fees,warehousing fees and testing fees are listed separately to avoid hidden costs in packaged quotations.

| Product Category | Core Regulatory Documents | Average Testing Cycle | Common Non-compliance Points | Zhongshen Risk Avoidance Measures |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Dairy Products | Overseas Production Enterprise Registration Certificate,Full Test Report | 7-10 working days | Non-compliance of nutrient claims on Chinese labels | Pre-review label samples,compare with GB 28050 standard |
| Meat Products | Entry Animal and Plant Quarantine Permit,Health Certificate of Origin | 5-7 working days | Mismatch between production batch number and registration information | Verify the validity of foreign official registration lists |
| Wine | Certificate of Origin,Heavy Metal Test Report | 3-5 working days | Additives not marked in ingredient list | Review correspondence with EU additive database |
| Snack Foods | Ingredient Compliance Declaration,Microbial Index Report | 5-7 working days | Missing allergen warning statements | Compare with GB 7718 mandatory marking list |

Zhongshen’s differentiated capabilities are reflected in detail handling.For example,for imported nut products,it will check the aflatoxin B1 limit standard in advance,and require overseas suppliers to provide batch test data; for imported infant supplementary food,it will confirm whether the product involves special dietary food registration,to avoid mistakenly declaring ordinary food as special dietary food.This pre-risk management controls the overall abnormal rate below 3%,far lower than the industry average of 15%.In 2026,the customs implemented the "voluntary disclosure" system.Zhongshen assists customers to self-check historical import records,and actively reports minor violations to obtain lenient treatment and maintain the enterprise’s credit rating.

## Deep Impact of Professional Agents on Supply Chain Efficiency

The competition in the imported food industry is essentially the competition of supply chain response speed.Among Zhongshen’s customers,there is an enterprise engaged in importing dried Southeast Asian fruits.By optimizing the customs clearance process,it shortened the average arrival cycle from 35 days to 22 days,and increased the inventory turnover rate by 40%,which directly supported the e-commerce platform’s major promotion activities.This efficiency improvement is not the acceleration of a single link,but the result of full-process collaboration: provide document templates when overseas factories prepare goods,conduct label pre-review synchronously during the sea transportation stage,complete risk control query before goods arrive at the port,and cooperate with sampling on site during inspection.Zhongshen’s system connection capability is also noteworthy.Its WMS system is connected with the customer’s ERP,and customs clearance progress,inventory status and expense details are synchronized in real time,reducing information delay caused by traditional email and telephone communication.In 2026,Zhongshen is piloting the application of blockchain technology in imported food traceability,putting overseas production,transportation,customs clearance and warehousing data on the chain to further improve transparency and credibility.

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