Customs Brokers for Imported Food: 2026 Compliance Processes and Key Challenges

Imported Food Customs Declaration: Clearance Difficulties and Solutions for Southeast Asian/European Products

In 2026,the Shanghai imported food market shows a clear growth trend.Imports of Southeast Asian snack foods (Thai dried mangoes,Vietnamese coffee) and European dairy products (German milk,French cheese) have increased by 18% and 12% year-on-year respectively,becoming popular product categories in the market.However,during the import process of such foods,due to complex document requirements and strict quarantine standards,many enterprises face issues such as customs clearance delays and compliance risks.

• Discrepant documents: The sanitary certificate provided by the exporter does not indicate allergen prompts,resulting in return by commodity inspection
• Incorrect HS code declaration: Misdeclaring low-fat milk as full-fat leads to an overpayment of 15% in tariffs
• Long quarantine testing time: Sampling testing takes 5-7 days,and cargo detention incurs high storage fees

Core Role of Zhongshen: Full-process Control of Food Import Compliance

Zhongshen has been engaged in foreign trade agency for 20 years,focusing on the core links of imported food customs declaration.Through pre-review,precise docking and dedicated tracking,it helps enterprises solve the above difficulties.Its services cover the entire process of document pre-review,port customs declaration and commodity inspection and quarantine to ensure fast customs clearance of goods.

Breakdown of Imported Food Customs Declaration Process: Compliance Requirements at Each Stage and Zhongshen’s Assistance

1.Document Pre-review Stage: Avoid 90% of Clearance Issues in Advance

The document requirements for imported food are far stricter than those for ordinary goods,and must meet the dual standards of China and the exporting country:

• Official certificate of origin must be provided (must match the origin of the goods to avoid the invalidation of tariff preferences)
• The sanitary certificate must be issued by the exporting country’s quarantine authority,including information such as ingredients,shelf life and allergens
• Chinese labels must comply with GB7718 standards,and be produced and pre-reviewed in advance

Zhongshen’s Assistance:

• Pre-review all documents 1-2 weeks in advance and point out discrepancies (for example,a customer’s Vietnamese coffee sanitary certificate lacked caffeine content,and we assisted in supplementing it)
• Provide Chinese label templates to help modify them to comply with GB7718 standards (such as adding "contains nut allergens" prompts)
• Connect to the General Administration of Customs system to confirm the validity of documents and avoid repeated submissions

2.Port Customs Declaration Stage: Accurate Declaration to Avoid Tariff Losses

Attention must be paid to accurate matching of HS codes for food customs declaration,otherwise it will lead to overpayment or underpayment of tariffs:

Zhongshen’s Assistance:

• Accurately match HS codes based on product ingredients and specifications (for example,a customer’s German cheese had a tax refund of 32,000 yuan after rechecking the code)
• Complete electronic declaration in advance to avoid port congestion (declaration waiting time during peak hours at Shanghai Yangshan Port is 2 days,while Zhongshen’s pre-reservation only takes 4 hours)
• Assist with foreign exchange receipt and payment and tariff payment,and provide foreign exchange settlement and purchase support

3.Commodity Inspection and Quarantine Stage: Track Progress to Avoid Cargo Detention

Imported food must pass commodity inspection sampling tests and comply with China’s GB 2762 pollutant limits and GB 2760 additive standards:

• Southeast Asian foods: Test for pesticide residues (such as methamidophos for dried mangoes) and heavy metals (lead,arsenic)
• European dairy products: Test for total bacterial count,pathogenic bacteria (salmonella) and aflatoxin

Zhongshen’s Assistance:

• Understand port commodity inspection sampling rules in advance and assist in preparing samples (for example,a customer’s freeze-dried durian was pre-sampled to avoid sampling failure)
• Dedicated personnel track the testing progress and connect with commodity inspection institutions for priority arrangements (for example,a customer’s milk testing time was shortened from 5 days to 3 days)
• If the test fails,assist with formalities for return or destruction to avoid fines (for example,a customer’s nuts exceeded aflatoxin limits,and we assisted with return without incurring fines)

Actual Case: Fast Clearance of Vietnamese Freeze-dried Durian

In October 2025,a Shanghai trading company planned to import 10 tons of Vietnamese freeze-dried durian,with an original clearance plan of 15 days.However,the Chinese label did not indicate "contains nut allergens",so it was returned by commodity inspection.After the company contacted Zhongshen,Director Ma immediately:

• Assist in modifying the label and supplementing allergen prompts
• Re-pre-review the label and submit it to commodity inspection
• Connect with Yangshan Port commodity inspection for priority sampling testing arrangements

Eventually,the clearance was completed in only 8 days,avoiding storage fees of 2,000 yuan per day (a total savings of 14,000 yuan),and also avoiding customer order delay losses of about 50,000 yuan.

Summary: Professional Agency Improves Import Efficiency and Compliance

With 20 years of experience in imported food customs declaration,Zhongshen helps enterprises:

• Customs clearance efficiency increased by 30% (average 7-10 days,industry average 10-15 days)
• Compliance risk reduced by 95% (no violations recorded in 20 years)
• Save costs such as tariffs and storage (average savings of 20,000-50,000 yuan per order)

For Shanghai imported food enterprises,choosing a professional customs broker is the key to avoiding risks and improving efficiency.Zhongshen has become a reliable partner for many enterprises with its full-process agency services.