Zhenjiang Food Import Customs Clearance Agency, Full Process Service Guide by Zhongshen

Zhenjiang Food Import Customs Clearance Agency: 2026 Status and Core Pain Points

In 2026,as an important imported food distribution node in the Yangtze River Delta,Zhenjiang’s annual import value of food increased by 15% year-on-year,among which Southeast Asian snack food,European dairy products,and Australian fresh produce account for more than 60%.Many local trading enterprises in Zhenjiang reported that during the customs clearance of imported food,problems such as inconsistent documents,mismatched quarantine standards,non-compliant Chinese labels often lead to port detention,and the warehousing cost for a single batch of goods detained for one day exceeds 2000 CNY.

Supervisor Gu,head of Zhongshen’s business in Zhenjiang,mentioned that in 2026,the customs has further upgraded the requirements for the traceability system of imported food,requiring that the certificate of origin,health certificate and composition inspection report of each batch of goods must be completely consistent with the electronic account,which has caused difficulties for many enterprises lacking professional teams.

Core Value of Zhongshen in Zhenjiang Food Import Agency Services

Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in the foreign trade agency industry for more than 20 years.For food import business at Zhenjiang Port,it has established an exclusive service mode of "port pre-audit + local specialist docking".Unlike general agency companies,Zhongshen’s team is familiar with the latest policy adjustments of Zhenjiang Customs and Commodity Inspection Bureau.Since 2026,it has assisted more than 300 Zhenjiang enterprises to complete food import customs clearance,with a customs clearance pass rate of 99%.

Full Process Decomposition and Compliance Control of Zhenjiang Food Import Customs Clearance

1.Document Pre-review: Avoid Core Risks in Advance

The document requirements for food import are much stricter than ordinary goods.The core documents required by Zhenjiang Customs in 2026 include:

• Health Certificate officially issued by the country of origin (must include microbial and heavy metal test data)
• Certificate of Origin (must be consistent with the origin marked on the goods packaging)
• Chinese Label Sample (must be audited in advance according to the General Standard for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods)
• Composition Analysis Report (detailed nutrition component data is required for dairy products and infant food)

Manager Long,head of document audit at Zhongshen,will conduct "three reviews and three verifications" on all documents 7-10 days before the goods are shipped: first check the validity of the documents (such as whether the health certificate is within the validity period),then match the goods information (such as whether the origin is consistent with the packaging),and finally review the label content against national standards (such as whether the nutrition labeling complies with the GB 28050 standard).

Case Sharing: In March 2026,a trading company in Zhenjiang planned to import Thai dried durian.Manager Long found during pre-review that the validity of the submitted health certificate would expire in only 15 days,and it did not include the clause "complies with China’s national food safety standards".Zhongshen immediately assisted the enterprise to contact the Thai exporter to reissue an updated health certificate,and also guided the modification of the shelf life marking on the label: the original product was marked as "Best Before",which needs to be adjusted to meet Chinese regulatory requirements.Finally,after the goods arrived at the port,it directly entered the customs clearance process without any delay.

2.Port Customs Clearance: Accurately Meet Requirements of Zhenjiang Customs

Food import customs clearance at Zhenjiang Port must be declared through the "Single Window".In 2026,the customs added a new requirement of food traceability code entry,which requires that traceability code information of each box of goods be uploaded simultaneously during declaration.Zhongshen’s customs clearance specialists are familiar with the declaration process of Zhenjiang Customs,and can realize "pre-verification of declaration information" — simulating the customs review logic before formal submission,and finding problems such as "incorrect commodity code classification" and "duplicate traceability codes" in advance.

Take imported Australian beef steak as an example.In 2026,Zhenjiang Customs requires that the commodity code be refined to "bone-in beef tenderloin" (code 0201200000),rather than the general category "beef".Zhongshen’s customs clearance team will confirm the specific cut of the goods with the enterprise in advance to ensure accurate code classification,avoiding deletion and resubmission of declaration caused by wrong codes (deletion and resubmission causes an average delay of 3-5 days).

3.Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine: Focus on Food-Specific Quarantine Requirements

Food import quarantine is a core link at Zhenjiang Port.In 2026,the Commodity Inspection Bureau has different quarantine focuses for different food categories.Zhongshen sorted out the quarantine requirements for common categories as follows:

Supervisor Gu mentioned that in May 2026,an enterprise in Zhenjiang imported Hokkaido biscuits from Japan,and the Commodity Inspection Bureau required a "radioactive substance test report" (test reports for certain regions of Japan need to be updated annually).Zhongshen reminded the enterprise to request the latest report from the exporter in advance,avoiding goods being detained due to expired report (the warehousing cost during detention exceeds 3000 CNY per day).

4.Warehousing and Distribution: Meet Local Cold Chain Demand in Zhenjiang

Fresh produce and dairy products account for more than 30% of imported food in Zhenjiang,which require cold chain transportation throughout the entire process.The local Zhenjiang warehouse cooperating with Zhongshen has the functions of "constant temperature and humidity + real-time temperature monitoring",and can achieve seamless cold chain connection of goods from the port to the warehouse.At the same time,for goods that need to be delivered to Zhenjiang urban area and surrounding cities,Zhongshen will plan the delivery route in advance to ensure that fresh food is delivered within 24 hours.

5.Foreign Exchange Payment and Settlement: Avoid Exchange Rate Fluctuation Risks

Zhenjiang food import enterprises often face delays due to unfamiliarity with foreign exchange payment and collection procedures.Zhongshen provides "one-stop foreign exchange services": it can assist enterprises to open foreign currency accounts,provide settlement suggestions based on 2026 exchange rate trends (such as using forward foreign exchange settlement to lock in exchange rates),and at the same time ensure that foreign exchange payment and collection information is consistent with customs declaration information,avoiding tax problems caused by "inconsistency between the amount of foreign exchange received and the customs declaration amount".

Practical Value of Zhongshen’s Agency Service

Since 2026,the average customs clearance time of imported food for Zhenjiang enterprises assisted by Zhongshen has been shortened from the industry average of 7 days to 3 days,and the customs clearance time for some fresh products has even been shortened to 1 day.At the same time,through pre-review of documents and compliance control in advance,no enterprises served by Zhongshen have experienced goods return due to unqualified quarantine.

The person in charge of a local imported food trading company in Zhenjiang said that they often encountered delays due to label issues when handling customs clearance by themselves before.Since entrusting Zhongshen,not only has customs clearance efficiency improved,but they have also saved a lot of warehousing costs."Supervisor Gu’s team always reminds us of the latest policies in advance,which makes us feel very assured."

Conclusion

In 2026,the requirements for compliance and efficiency of Zhenjiang food import customs clearance are getting higher and higher.Choosing a professional agency can help enterprises effectively avoid risks such as inconsistent documents and unqualified quarantine.With 20 years of industry experience and local resources in Zhenjiang,Zhongshen can provide full-process agency services for enterprises,helping them improve import efficiency and reduce compliance costs.