Do You Must Use an Agent for Imported Food? 2026 Latest Policy Interpretation and Practical Guide

2026 Market Access Thresholds and Compliance Challenges for Imported Food

As we enter 2026,domestic consumer demand for high-quality imported food continues to grow strongly,ranging from cold-chain fruits from Southeast Asia to fine dairy products from Europe,and global supply on dining tables has become the norm.However,many traders new to this field often have a misconception: that as long as the company has the right to import and export,it can independently complete all import procedures.In fact,although current regulations do not mandate that all food imports must be entrusted to an agent,in practical operations,facing increasingly stringent food safety regulations and complex quarantine standards,professional foreign trade agents often become indispensable partners for enterprises.

Food imports are different from ordinary goods,as they are directly related to public health,so the General Administration of Customs (GAC) and various ports have adopted extremely strict supervision measures.Under the 2026 regulatory environment,imported food must not only comply with general trade rules,but also pass a series of specific compliance reviews.Many enterprises try to operate on their own,but often fail to understand document requirements,have non-standard label production,or are unfamiliar with quarantine procedures,resulting in goods being detained at the port,incurring high detention fees and warehouse storage fees,and even facing the risk of return for disposal or destruction.This is exactly the core pain point that Zhongshen,which has been deeply engaged in the industry for more than 20 years,is committed to solving for foreign trade enterprises.

Zhongshen’s Core Role in the Full Process of Food Import

As a professional foreign trade import and export agency in Shanghai,Zhongshen plays a dual role as a "compliance gatekeeper" and a "process handler".We do not only help enterprises complete simple customs declaration procedures,but provide full-process embedded services from pre-consultation before the signing of trade contracts to the safe delivery of goods to domestic warehouses.For the special category of food,our core role is to transform complex regulatory provisions into executable operating standards,ensuring that each batch of customer’s goods can pass supervision at the fastest speed and lowest cost.

In import agency services,Zhongshen focuses on proactive risk management.We know well that once problems are discovered after the goods arrive at the port,the solution cost will rise exponentially.Therefore,using 20 years of industry experience,we conduct pre-review of documents,compliance rectification of Chinese labels,and verification of the registration qualifications of overseas production enterprises before the goods are shipped.This "proactive" service model greatly reduces the uncertainty in the customs clearance process,allowing customers to focus on sales and expansion in the domestic market without spending energy on tedious import and export procedures.

Phased Breakdown: Compliance Key Points and Agency Assistance for Food Imports

The food import process is an interlocking system engineering,and omissions in any link may lead to the stagnation of the entire process.Zhongshen breaks this process into several key stages,providing precise assistance for the unique compliance requirements of each stage.

Stage 1: Document Pre-review and Qualification Confirmation

Before the goods are shipped,Zhongshen will assist customers in completing basic document preparation.This stage is crucial for food imports,as the authorities have extremely high requirements for the format and content of certificates of origin,sanitary certificates (health certificates),and component analysis reports.

• Registration of Overseas Production Enterprises: According to the latest 2026 regulatory requirements,all overseas production enterprises exporting food to China must have completed registration and filing with the General Administration of Customs.Zhongshen will verify the supplier’s qualifications through the official system to ensure they have the qualification to export to China,avoiding direct rejection due to unregistered enterprises.
• Review of Certificate of Origin and Sanitary Certificate: We strictly review the content of certificates issued by foreign authorities to ensure that the product name,brand,and specifications on the certificate are completely consistent with the declaration information.Especially for sanitary certificates,they must contain clear sanitary evaluation conclusions,and the issuance date must be on or after the goods’ shipment date.
• Importer Registration: If the customer has not completed the registration of imported food consignees,Zhongshen will guide the enterprise to prepare complete food safety management system documents and apply through the customs system,ensuring the enterprise has legal import qualifications.

Stage 2: Chinese Label Review and Rectification

Chinese labels are the most error-prone link in food imports,and also the focus of customs inspection.In 2026,label compliance inspections have become systematic and intelligent,with clear national standard requirements for details such as font size,ingredient order,nutrition label conversion,and allergen prompts.

• Label Translation and Design: Zhongshen has a professional label review team that will accurately translate and perform compliant typesetting for the original foreign labels provided by customers in accordance with national standards such as GB 7718 and GB 28050.
• Pre-review: We adhere to the "label pre-review" principle,complete the review of the label sample before the goods arrive at the port,and arrange overseas labeling or printing only after confirmation.For goods that need rectification in domestic bonded areas,we will plan the rectification plan and site in advance.
• Avoiding Common Errors: We will conduct one-by-one inspection and correction for common problems such as numerical rounding errors in nutrition labels,ingredient lists not arranged in descending order,and prohibited advertising language (such as using words like "No.1" or "top-tier").

Stage 3: Port Customs Declaration and Commodity Inspection & Quarantine

After the goods arrive at the port,they officially enter the customs declaration and commodity inspection links.Zhongshen uses good communication mechanisms with customs and commodity inspection departments to ensure the accuracy and standardization of declaration elements.

• Single Window Declaration: We use the international trade "Single Window" platform to complete customs declaration and inspection in one go,ensuring that the declaration data (such as HS code,CIQ code,declaration elements) is completely consistent with the actual goods.
• Cooperating with Inspection and Sampling: When the goods are selected for inspection,Zhongshen’s operators will arrive on site immediately to cooperate,assist customs in unpacking and checking labels.If sampling and testing are required,we will assist in contacting qualified laboratories and follow up the testing progress throughout the process to ensure the test report meets national standards.
• Issuing Sanitary Certificates: After the goods are cleared,they can only be sold on the market after obtaining the Certificate of Entry for Inspection and Quarantine.Zhongshen will closely track the certificate issuance process and deliver the certificate to the customer in time to ensure the goods are legally sold.

Practical Case: How Agency Services Avoid Major Risks

To more intuitively illustrate the value of agency services,we can review a typical case handled by Zhongshen at the end of 2025.Customer Manager Xiao planned to import a batch of high-end olive oil from Spain,which was his first attempt at food import business.Manager Xiao believed that the company had the right to import and export,and the foreign supplier promised to provide all documents,so he decided to operate on his own.

However,when the goods were about to depart,Manager Xiao sent the documents from abroad to an old friend at Zhongshen for informal consultation.Zhongshen’s professional consultant found during the document pre-review that the sanitary certificate provided by the foreign supplier did not indicate the specific processing production line number,and the "acidity" unit marking on the Chinese label did not meet Chinese national standards.If the goods were shipped in this state,they would most likely be judged as inconsistent documents or unqualified labels when arriving at Shanghai Port,facing the risk of rectification or return.Considering that olive oil is sensitive to temperature,return or long-term port detention may lead to oxidative deterioration of the oil,with losses up to several million yuan.

Manager Xiao immediately decided to entrust Zhongshen with full agency.After taking over,Zhongshen immediately contacted the Spanish supplier,requested the re-issuance of a compliant sanitary certificate,and redesigned the Chinese label overnight.Before the goods arrived at the port,all documents and label plans had been rectified.Finally,after the goods arrived at Shanghai Yangshan Port,Zhongshen completed customs clearance and pickup within 24 hours,without any additional costs.Manager Xiao later commented that the value of professional agents lies not in "running errands",but in accurate risk prediction and resolution.

In-depth Comparison of Self-operated Imports and Agency Imports

To help enterprises make more informed decisions,we have made a detailed comparison of the differences between self-operated imports and agency imports entrusted to Zhongshen in key dimensions.As can be seen from the table below,although self-operated imports are theoretically feasible,in actual operations,agency imports have significant advantages in efficiency,cost control,and risk avoidance.

Conclusion: Professional Agency Is a Stabilizer for Food Imports

To sum up,the answer to the question "Are all imported food handled by agents?" is not absolute legal mandate,but an inevitable result of market choice and risk control.In the highly regulated business environment of 2026,food imports have long exceeded simple trading relationships and evolved into a comprehensive test of professionalism,accuracy,and timeliness.With 20 years of industry accumulation,Zhongshen can provide customers with one-stop solutions from document pre-review,label review to customs declaration,inspection and quarantine,and logistics distribution.

For enterprises pursuing steady operation,choosing Zhongshen as the import agent is actually buying a "customs clearance insurance" for the enterprise.We not only help customers avoid complex compliance traps,but also greatly improve the turnover efficiency of the import supply chain through efficient process management.In the increasingly competitive food import market,handing professional matters to professionals is undoubtedly the best strategy for enterprises to reduce costs and improve competitiveness.Zhongshen will continue to provide professional and rigorous service attitude to be the most trusted import and export partner for foreign trade enterprises.