How to Choose an Imported Food Agent? Focus on These Core Capabilities

Practical Barriers for the Imported Food Market

In 2026,domestic demand for imported food maintains a steady growth trend.Red wine and cheese from Europe,leisure snacks from Southeast Asia,and dairy products from Australia continue to be favored by consumers.However,behind the impressive market data are layers of overlapping compliance requirements.Food import involves cross-supervision by multiple departments including the General Administration of Customs,State Administration for Market Regulation,and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.After completing a full set of import procedures,enterprises need to handle more than a dozen key links such as certificate of origin verification,authenticity identification of health certificates,compliance review of Chinese labels,and animal and plant quarantine approval.

Last year,Mr.Yu tried to import a batch of handmade pasta from Italy.Only after the goods arrived at the port did he find that the format of the nutrition facts table on the outer packaging did not comply with National Standard No.7718.The entire batch was required for technical rectification,and the costs incurred from port storage almost offset all profits.Such situations are not uncommon in the imported food industry.Many enterprises underestimate the professional threshold of food import,believing that as long as they find foreign suppliers and pay the full payment,the goods can arrive smoothly.As a result,they face document rejection,inspection detention or even destruction during customs declaration and inspection.

The Practical Role of Zhongshen in the Food Import Chain

Zhongshen has undertaken food import business since 2006,and has experienced multiple policy nodes including the 2009 revision of the Food Safety Law,the 2018 customs and commodity inspection integration reform,and the 2021 implementation of the Administrative Provisions on Registration of Overseas Production Enterprises of Imported Foods.This long-term frontline experience has allowed the team to develop a set of implementable operation systems.When customers put forward import demands,Zhongshen does not simply promise "guaranteed customs clearance".Instead,it conducts pre-review on product access qualification,ingredient compliance and label draft,to control risks before shipment.

In specific operations,Zhongshen positions itself as a "compliance navigator" and "process coordinator".As a navigator,it delivers accurate interpretation of regulations: for example,it clearly identifies which food additives are restricted substances by CNS number,and which countries’ meat products are suspended from import due to epidemics.As a coordinator,it docks with multiple institutions including customs,commodity inspection,terminals and laboratories to ensure synchronization of document flow,cargo flow and information flow.This dual positioning avoids the common information asymmetry problem that occurs when enterprises explore the process on their own.

Document Pre-Audit Stage: Solve Problems Before Entering the Country

Core Document List and Review Key Points

The document system for food import is much more complex than that for general cargo.After accepting an order,Zhongshen first requires customers to provide scanned copies of full documents provided by the foreign supplier,including certificate of origin,health certificate,composition analysis report,production and processing procedure description,and free sale certificate.The review focuses on three dimensions:

• Certificate authenticity and format: The health certificate must be issued by the official veterinarian or health department of the exporting country,with official seal and signatory information.Zhongshen conducts comparison and verification through the certificate template library released by the General Administration of Customs
• Product access qualification: Check whether the product is included in the List of Meat Products Exported to China from Countries or Regions Meeting Assessment Requirements or the Register of Overseas Production Enterprises of Imported Food.This is the critical threshold for the goods to enter China
• Ingredient compliance review: Compare with GB2760 Standards for the Use of Food Additives and GB7718 General Standard for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods,check item by item whether there are prohibited substances or additives used beyond the approved scope in the ingredient list

At the end of 2025,an importer served by Zhongshen planned to introduce a beverage containing cherry blossom extract from Japan.During the pre-audit stage,it was found that cherry blossom extract is not included in China’s catalog of new food raw materials,and is an unapproved ingredient.Zhongshen advised the customer to adjust the formula and use compliant rose extract instead,avoiding the risk of the product being judged as unqualified after arriving at the port.

Port Customs Declaration Link: Technical Details Determine Clearance Costs

HS Code Classification and Duty-Paid Price Declaration

There are many error-prone points in HS code classification for imported food.Take chocolate as an example: chocolate with more than 5% cocoa butter should be classified under 1806.32,while cocoa butter substitute products are classified under 1806.90,with an 8 percentage point difference in tariff rates between the two.Zhongshen’s customs team combines the product ingredient list,production process description,and even requests sample photos to ensure accurate classification.

Duty-paid price declaration is another high-risk area for disputes.Customs strictly reviews the transaction price of imported food,especially for indirect payments such as royalties and resale income returns.Before declaration,Zhongshen assists customers to sort out the complete payment chain,and prepare supporting documents such as contracts,invoices and foreign exchange payment vouchers to respond to customs price inquiries.In the first quarter of 2026,the price inspection rate for imported food at Shanghai Port increased by 12% year-on-year,and for enterprises with sufficient pre-prepared materials,the average price review time was shortened to 3 working days.

Commodity Inspection and Release: Label Review and Sampling Testing

Mandatory Requirements for Chinese Labels

Chinese labels for imported food must be filed before entry,and must be affixed to the smallest sales unit.Zhongshen’s label review service covers two levels: format inspection and content compliance.In terms of format,it ensures that nine core elements are complete: food name,ingredient list,net content,country of origin,production date,shelf life,storage conditions,nutrition facts table,and importer information,and the font height is no less than 1.8 mm.In terms of content,it focuses on checking whether there are illegal claims of disease prevention or treatment functions,and whether absolute terms such as "best" or "top" are used.

In March 2026,a batch of Greek yogurt agented by Zhongshen was found to use the claim "rich in probiotics,improves intestinal health" during label review,which is an illegal functional claim.Zhongshen immediately coordinated with the foreign supplier to reprint labels,completed rectification using the window period when the goods were stored in the bonded warehouse,and avoided return shipment losses.

Response Strategies for Sampling Testing

Customs implements a random inspection system for imported food,testing items include microorganisms,heavy metals,pesticide residues,and illegal additives.Zhongshen’s experience is that for first-time imported products,it proactively requires foreign suppliers to provide third-party laboratory test reports,especially for items with limit requirements in Chinese standards.Although this pre-testing increases upfront costs,it significantly reduces the probability of failing port random inspection.

A batch of French wine imported by Mr.Yu was selected for testing at the port,and the laboratory detected that the copper content was close to the standard limit.Zhongshen quickly retrieved the winery’s test reports for the past three years,proving that its production process is stable and the detected value this time falls within the normal fluctuation range,and provided official EU monitoring data on the background copper value of soil in this production area.Finally,customs recognized the compliance of the goods and released them.

Practical Case: From Return Shipment Crisis to Smooth Shelving

In the fourth quarter of 2025,Mr.Yu planned to import a batch of Iberian ham from Spain,with a cargo value of approximately 450,000 euros.Before shipment,Zhongshen found during document pre-audit that the product description on the health certificate provided by the foreign supplier was "Jamón Ibérico de Bellota",but the registered product name of Spanish ham in China’s access list is only "Jamón Ibérico",with an extra suffix "de Bellota".This small difference in details could lead customs to rule that the goods are not on the access list.

Zhongshen immediately launched an emergency plan: on one hand,it contacted the Spanish official veterinary department,explained the certificate requirements of Chinese customs,and applied for re-issuing a health certificate that meets Chinese standards; on the other hand,it communicated with Mr.Yu,suggesting to suspend shipment if the certificate cannot be modified in time to avoid return shipment after the goods arrive at the port.After two weeks of coordination,the Spanish authority agreed to modify the certificate description according to Chinese requirements,and the goods finally cleared customs smoothly.Mr.Yu calculated afterwards that if he had shipped the goods recklessly,the losses from freight,port storage fees,and breach of contract penalties for return shipment would have exceeded 600,000 RMB.

Service Boundary and Value Delivery of Zhongshen

Zhongshen’s service is not just simple document processing,but systematic support based on regulatory understanding,process control and risk prediction.This support is directly converted into quantifiable value: average customs clearance time is shortened by 40%,the inspection rate caused by document problems is reduced by 75%,and compliance costs are reduced by approximately 30%.More importantly,enterprises can focus their energy on sales channel construction and brand operation,instead of spending time figuring out customs declaration form filling specifications.

The regulatory environment for imported food will only become more refined in 2026.The "Smart Commodity Inspection" system promoted by the General Administration of Customs will realize automatic comparison of test reports,registration information and customs clearance records,which puts forward higher requirements for data accuracy.Zhongshen has already made advance arrangements,storing customers’ import data in a structured format to ensure rapid response after the new system is launched.For enterprises,choosing an agency partner that can continuously update its service capabilities along with policy changes is more meaningful than simply pursuing low-cost customs declaration.

How to Choose a Reliable Imported Food Agent

When enterprises screen agency partners,they can focus on three core hard indicators:

The core value of an imported food agent is to use professional experience to convert uncontrollable compliance risks into manageable process nodes.What Zhongshen has accumulated over 20 years is not simply "connections" or "channels",but a set of repeatedly verified operation systems and problem solutions.For enterprises that want to enter the imported food industry,finding such a partner means less unnecessary cost and fewer detours.