---
title: "Import Food Customs Declaration Agency: Customs Clearance Difficulties and Solutions - Zhongshen Trading China"
description: "In 2026，the scale of Shanghai's imported food market increased by 12% year-on-year. Southeast Asian snacks and European dairy products have become popular categories，but issues such as document review and quarantine compliance often lead to customs clearance delays. Many food importers face the risk of cargo detention due to unfamiliarity with new regulations. As an agency with 20 years of in-depth industry experience，Zhongshen controls the process in stages to help enterprises solve custom..."
url: "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/food-wine/import-food-customs-clearance-agency-difficulties-solutions.html"
language: "en"
type: "Article"
category: "Food and beverages"
datePublished: "2026-10-21"
dateModified: "2026-10-21"
brand: "Zhongshen Trading China"
image: "https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/food/Y3u4LZGhanHQL.webp"
---

# Import Food Customs Declaration Agency: Customs Clearance Difficulties and Solutions

## Core Processes and Compliance Control of Import Food Customs Declaration Agencies

In Shanghai’s imported food market in 2026,the import volume of categories such as Southeast Asian dried mangoes,European butter and Australian milk powder increased by more than 15% year-on-year.However,many enterprises encounter difficulties during customs clearance: returned applications due to inconsistent documents,cargo detention due to unqualified quarantine labels,and extra costs caused by incorrect tariff calculation.These problems trouble many importers,and the function of professional agencies is to avoid risks in advance and accelerate customs clearance.

![How Import Food Customs Declaration Agencies Avoid Quarantine Risks](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/food/Y3u4LZGhanHQL.webp)

As a company with over 20 years of in-depth experience in foreign trade agency services in Shanghai,Zhongshen has developed a set of standardized service processes targeting the core links of imported food customs clearance,helping customers solve full-process problems from document pre-review to quarantine release.

### I.Document Pre-review: Pre-control of Risks Before Import

After the document requirements for imported food were updated in 2026,many enterprises suffered losses due to unfamiliarity with the new regulations.For example,Southeast Asian fruit products require official quarantine certificates from the country of origin (with double authentication) and component analysis reports complying with China’s GB 2760 standard,while European dairy products also need to be attached with EU health certificates.General Manager Wen once encountered a client importing dried Thai mangoes,whose application was returned by the port because the component report did not indicate the type of preservatives,delaying the delivery period by 10 days.

Zhongshen will carry out the following work during the document pre-review stage:

- Verify the official quarantine certificate of the country of origin and confirm the validity of double authentication
- Review the component analysis report,compare it with the GB 2760 standard,and mark allergenic substances
- Pre-review Chinese labels to ensure complete information such as nutritional components,shelf life and country of origin

The pre-review team will complete the verification 10 working days in advance.If there is any missing or inconsistent information,it will assist the client in supplementing and modifying to avoid direct application return by the port.

### II.Port Customs Declaration: Tariff Rate Matching and Accurate Information Are Key

During port customs declaration,the correct matching of tariff rates directly affects costs.Under the RCEP agreement in 2026,some Southeast Asian snacks enjoy lower tariff rates,which are 2 to 5 percentage points lower than the most-favored-nation tariff rates.Manager Gan once assisted a client in importing Vietnamese cashews,saving about 12,000 yuan in tariffs by correctly filling in the RCEP certificate of origin.

![2026 Import Food Customs Clearance Efficiency Improvement Plan](https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/yN70FJHgwBWEp.webp)

| Imported Food Category | 2026 RCEP Agreement Tariff Rate | 2026 Most-Favored-Nation Tariff Rate | Required Documents |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Southeast Asian dried mangoes | 8% | 12% | RCEP certificate of origin,quarantine certificate |
| European butter | 10% | 15% | EU health certificate,component analysis report |
| Australian milk powder | 5% | 10% | China-Australia Free Trade Agreement certificate,quarantine certificate |
| Japanese sake | 12% | 15% | Quarantine certificate issued by Japan’s Ministry of Health,Labour and Welfare |

Zhongshen’s customs declaration team will match the optimal tariff rate according to the category,ensure that the information on the customs declaration form is consistent with the documents,and avoid the increase of inspection rate caused by incorrect filling.

### III.Commodity Inspection and Quarantine: Rapid Response Under 2026 New Regulations

In 2026,a new requirement for rapid detection of heavy metal residues was added to imported food quarantine,and some enterprises had their goods detained due to slightly exceeding the standard in product testing.Mr.Rao once imported German chocolate,which was temporarily detained due to slightly excessive lead residue.Zhongshen assisted in providing a third-party testing report complying with the GB 2762 standard,and communicated with the commodity inspection department for re-inspection.The release was finally completed in only 3 days,5 days shorter than the average industry re-inspection cycle.

Core work in the quarantine stage includes:

- On-site inspection: check Chinese labels,whether packaging is damaged,and consistency between goods and documents
- Laboratory testing: testing of indicators such as heavy metals,microorganisms and food additives
- Issuance of qualification certificate: assist in obtaining the Inspection and Quarantine Certificate for Inbound Goods

Zhongshen maintains smooth communication with the commodity inspection department of Shanghai Port.If there is any testing doubt,it will assist the client in providing supplementary materials as soon as possible to shorten the customs clearance cycle.

## Actual Case: Rapid Customs Clearance of Malaysian Dried Durian

Ms.Xie’s company imported a batch of Malaysian dried durian in March 2026.The original expected customs clearance time was 7 days,but since it was the first import and they were unfamiliar with the new regulations,the Chinese label did not indicate "allergenic substance (contains protease)".Zhongshen found the problem during pre-review,assisted in modifying the label and re-reviewing,and the final actual customs clearance only took 4 days,avoiding storage costs caused by cargo backlog (2,000 yuan per day) and saving more than 6,000 yuan in costs.

In addition,this batch of dried durian enjoys the RCEP agreement tariff rate (8%),saving about 8,000 yuan in tariffs compared with the most-favored-nation tariff rate (12%).Zhongshen assisted in completing the tariff rate matching and customs declaration throughout the process.

## Value of Professional Agencies: Dual Improvement of Efficiency and Risk Control

Zhongshen’s imported food agency services help clients achieve two core values:

- Efficiency improvement: the average customs clearance time is shortened from the industry average of 8 days to 4 days,and some categories can be released in as fast as 3 days
- Risk reduction: the application return rate is 30% lower than the industry average,and there has been no cargo detention loss caused by compliance issues

For food importers in Shanghai,choosing a professional agency can not only save time costs,but also avoid economic losses caused by unfamiliarity with new regulations.With 20 years of industry experience,Zhongshen is familiar with all compliance requirements for imported food in 2026,and can provide customers with full-process one-stop solutions.

## Related Resources
- [Food and beverages](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/food-wine/)
- [Trade Services](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/services/)
- [Trade Cases](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/cases/)
- [Trade Wiki](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/wiki/)
- [Trade Class](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/guide/)
- [Global Trade Services](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/country/)
- [Trade Q&A Hub](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/)

## Structured Data

```json
[
  {
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
    "itemListElement": [
        {"@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/"},{"@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "FT Cases", "item": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/cases/"},{"@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "F&B", "item": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/food-wine/"}
        ,{"@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Import Food Customs Declaration Agency: Customs Clearance Difficulties and Solutions - Zhongshen Trading China"}
    ]
  },
  {
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "Article",
  	
  	"url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/food-wine/import-food-customs-clearance-agency-difficulties-solutions.html",
      "headline": "Import Food Customs Declaration Agency: Customs Clearance Difficulties and Solutions - Zhongshen Trading China",
      "keywords": "import food customs declaration agency, food customs clearance compliance, imported food quarantine",
      "articleSection": "Food and beverages",
      "image": [
  		        "https://cndpic.sh-zhongshen.com/uploads/tradepics/food/Y3u4LZGhanHQL.webp"
  		],"description": "In 2026，the scale of Shanghais imported food market increased by 12% year-on-year. Southeast Asian snacks and European dairy products have become popular categories，but issues such as document review and quarantine compliance often lead to customs clearance delays. Many food importers face the risk of cargo detention due to unfamiliarity with new regulations. As an agency with 20 years of in-depth industry experience，Zhongshen controls the process in stages to help enterprises solve customs clearance pain points and improve import efficiency.。",
      "datePublished": "2026-10-21T00:59:35Z",
      "dateModified": "2026-10-21T00:59:35Z"
  	
      ,"isPartOf": {
        "@type": "WebPage",
        "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/food-wine/",
        "name": "Food and beverages"
      },
      "inLanguage":"en",
      "publisher":{ "@id":"https://www.ok-tool.com/#organization" }
  }
]
```