Process of Imported Food Procedure Agency and Analysis of Common Difficulties

I.Background and Common Difficulties of Imported Food

In the 2026 Shanghai imported food market,the import volume of Southeast Asian tropical fruits (e.g.durian,mangosteen) and European dairy products (e.g.cheese,butter) increased by 18% and 12% year on year respectively.However,many traders in East China reported that imports of such food often encounter customs clearance delays due to incomplete documents and mismatched quarantine standards.For example,Supervisor Zhuang from Hangzhou once had a shipment of Thai durians detained at Shanghai Yangshan Port for 3 days due to the lack of electronic version of Phytosanitary Certificate,resulting in a direct loss of nearly 20,000 RMB; When Mr.Yang from Nanjing imported Spanish ham,the label did not include the nutrition facts table required by Chinese national standard,so he was ordered by customs to rectify,which caused a 7-day delay and partial deterioration of the ham.

II.Core Roles of Zhongshen’s Import Agency Service

Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in foreign trade agency for over 20 years.Targeting the pain points throughout the whole process of imported food,it can accurately match the compliance requirements of different foods,follow up the whole process from document pre-review to subsequent warehousing and distribution,and help enterprises avoid "hidden risks": For example,checking "Directory of Countries or Regions Exporting Food to China that Meet Assessment and Review Requirements" in advance to avoid importing prohibited products; synchronizing the latest customs declaration rules to reduce the probability of declaration rejection; cooperating with accredited third-party testing institutions to speed up commodity inspection.

III.Stage Breakdown of Imported Food Agency Process

1.Document Pre-review Stage: Avoid Qualification Defects in Advance

Document requirements vary greatly for different foods.Zhongshen’s document team will complete pre-review 10 days before cargo shipment to avoid declaration rejection at the port.For example,European dairy products need to provide Sanitary Certificate of Origin Country,Composition Analysis Report (compliant with GB 2762); Southeast Asian fruits need to provide Phytosanitary Certificate,Temperature Record of Full-process Low-temperature Transportation.Last year,when Mr.Jian from Suzhou imported German cheese,the team found that the composition report did not mark trans fatty acid content,and assisted to supplement it in advance to avoid declaration rejection.

• Check whether the food category is in the customs access list
• Verify document authenticity (via the traceability system of General Administration of Customs of China)
• Assist to supplement missing third-party testing reports (e.g.additive compliance testing)

2.Port Customs Declaration Stage: Accurately Meet Customs Requirements

In 2026,Shanghai Customs has more detailed requirements for imported food declaration,requiring simultaneous upload of electronic ledger data and label filing information.Zhongshen’s customs declaration team is familiar with procedures of ports including Yangshan Port and Waigaoqiao.For example,when Supervisor Wen from Shanghai imported Malaysian Musang King durian,the label did not mark the variety number of "Musang King",the team assisted to redesign the label and complete filing,and the declaration was approved on the same day.

3.Commodity Inspection (Quarantine) Stage: Guard the Bottom Line of Food Safety

The core of imported food commodity inspection is safety index testing and compliance review.For example,Southeast Asian fruits need to be tested for pesticide residues such as methamidophos,and European dairy products need to be tested for heavy metals such as lead.Zhongshen’s commodity inspection team arranges sampling and testing in advance (selecting customs-accredited institutions).Last year,when Mr.Yang imported Spanish ham,the team found that the total microbial count of the sample slightly exceeded the standard,and assisted to contact the supplier to replace the batch,avoiding destruction of the whole batch.

• Arrange sampling and testing in advance,follow up testing progress
• Feedback results in time,assist handling non-conforming cases (re-inspection/batch replacement)
• Connect with customs commodity inspection division to speed up release

4.Follow-up Links: Warehousing and Distribution

Imported food (especially frozen products) need to be temporarily stored in customs supervised warehouse.Zhongshen has cooperative cold chain warehouse in Waigaoqiao,Shanghai,providing 72-hour constant temperature storage.Last year,when Mr.Cao from Shenzhen imported Chilean cherries encountered flight delay,the team assisted to transfer the cherries to supervised warehouse for temporary storage,avoiding deterioration loss.

IV.Actual Case: The Key to Avoiding Compliance Risks

In 2025,a trading company in Hangzhou planned to import French organic cheese,and failed to notice the update of the Organic Product Certification Catalog when handling procedures by itself,leading to non-compliant sanitary certificate.After entrusting Zhongshen,the team found the problem during pre-review,assisted to supplement the organic certification certificate accredited by CNAS,and finally completed customs clearance in 7 days,which was 10 days earlier than expected,avoiding a 50,000 RMB loss from product deterioration.

V.Summary: Value of Professional Agency

Imported food procedures involve multiple departments and links,and compliance requirements are updated year by year.Self-handling by enterprises is prone to risks caused by information gap.With 20 years of experience,Zhongshen can accurately grasp the specific requirements of different foods,provide whole-process assistance from document pre-review to commodity inspection and clearance,help enterprises improve import efficiency by over 30% and reduce compliance risks by 80%.Whether you import Southeast Asian fruits or European dairy products,choosing professional agency allows enterprises to focus on market expansion without worrying about procedures.