Shanghai Imported Food Agency Company, Solve Customs Clearance Difficulties for European and Southeast Asian Products

Shanghai Imported Food Agency: Focus on Customs Clearance Pain Points and Solutions for European and Southeast Asian Products

In Shanghai’s imported food market in 2026,European baked goods and Southeast Asian tropical fruits account for more than 40% of total imports.However,imports of these two categories often encounter setbacks due to differences in origin standards and complex quarantine requirements.For example,a European brand of butter requires a EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) certificate,while Southeast Asian durian must meet the "entry via designated ports" requirement stipulated in the Measures for the Administration of Quarantine of Imported Fruits of China.Many trading companies are unfamiliar with these details,resulting in cargo detention at ports for more than 5 days.

Core Values of Zhongshen in Imported Food Agency Services

Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in food import agency services for more than 20 years.For imported food businesses at Shanghai ports,it focuses on solving two core issues: "compliance connection" and "efficiency improvement".For example,the food trading company where Ms.Jiang works was rejected in 2025 for importing Spanish ham without attached Chinese label samples.After entrusting Zhongshen in 2026,it only took 3 days to complete document pre-audit and 7 days to complete customs clearance,saving 40% of time compared with before.

Disassembly of Imported Food Agency Process: Full Link Control from Documents to Commodity Inspection

1.Document Pre-audit: Avoid "Hidden Discrepancies" in Advance

Document requirements for imported food are far stricter than those for ordinary goods.For European products,it is necessary to verify the qualification of the issuing authorities of CE certification and SPS certificates.For Southeast Asian fruits,it is necessary to confirm whether the Phytosanitary Certificate is marked with "fumigated" (for fruits with soil).In the document pre-audit stage,Zhongshen will establish a "one product,one list" verification mechanism:

• Verify whether the certificate of origin is consistent with the actual origin of the goods to avoid tariff back payment caused by "fake certificate of origin";
• Confirm the validity period of the health certificate (which needs to cover 30 days after the goods arrive at the port),and check whether the ingredient list complies with the National Food Safety Standard General Rules for Nutrition Labeling of Prepackaged Foods of China (GB28050);
• For tropical fruits,confirm in advance whether the port scope of the Imported Animal and Plant Quarantine Permit includes Shanghai Yangshan Port.

Supervisor Gu once handled a Southeast Asian durian import case: the Phytosanitary Certificate provided by the customer was not marked with "fruit fly free".After discovering this during the pre-audit,Zhongshen assisted the customer in contacting the foreign supplier to reissue the certificate,avoiding the risk of the goods being destroyed at the port.

2.Port Customs Declaration: Accurately Match Tariff Codes

The tariff code (HS code) of imported food directly affects the tariff rate and supervision conditions.For example,for baked goods,the tariff for butter (HS code 0405100000) is 10%,while the tariff for cream (HS code 0405200000) is 12%.Incorrect coding may lead to overpayment of tariffs or customs clearance delays.Zhongshen’s customs declaration team will:

1.Accurately match the HS code based on the composition of the goods (such as whether the milk fat content of butter is ≥80%);

2.For European organic food,confirm whether it has EU Organic certification to enjoy tariff preferences;

3.Submit the customs declaration form and commodity inspection declaration form simultaneously to avoid system jams caused by "separate declaration of forms".

3.Commodity Inspection Link: Focus on Dual Compliance of "Quarantine + Label"

The commodity inspection of imported food at Shanghai ports is divided into two parts: "on-site quarantine" and "laboratory testing",among which:

• On-site quarantine: For Southeast Asian fruits,check whether they carry quarantine pests (such as Bactrocera dorsalis); for European baked goods,check whether the packaging complies with the National Food Safety Standard General Safety Requirements for Food Contact Materials and Products of China (GB 4806.1);

• Laboratory testing: Focus on testing heavy metals (lead,cadmium),pesticide residues (such as thiamethoxam in Southeast Asian fruits),and microorganisms (such as Listeria in European ham).

Zhongshen will assist customers in preparing test samples in advance (5% of the goods are sampled as samples per batch),and cooperate with third-party laboratories recognized by the Shanghai Commodity Inspection Bureau,shortening the testing cycle from the conventional 10 days to 7 days.Supervisor Sheng once encountered a case where a batch of European chocolate failed the initial inspection due to excessive microorganisms.Zhongshen assisted the customer in providing production records and third-party test reports from the foreign supplier,and the batch finally passed the re-inspection.

Comparison of Common Risks of Imported Food and Corresponding Solutions

Summary: Professional Agency Enables "Fast Compliance and Low Risk" for Imported Food

Competition in Shanghai’s imported food market intensified in 2026,and compliance and efficiency have become the core competitiveness of enterprises.Through the full-process service of "pre-audit in advance + accurate customs declaration + commodity inspection connection",Zhongshen helps customers shorten the import cycle from an average of 15 days to 10 days,and reduce compliance risks by more than 60%.The 5 batches of European food imported by Ms.Jiang’s company entrusted to Zhongshen in the first half of 2026 all achieved "zero delay and zero rejection",saving nearly 100,000 yuan in port detention fees and compliance costs compared with 2025.