Switch from Import Agency to Self-operation? Full Process Compliance Guide for German Milk Powder Import

Background and Common Difficulties of German Infant Formula Import

In 2026,domestic demand for high-quality infant formula continues to grow.As a core import source country,Germany’s products are favored by the market for their strict production standards.However,many enterprises have encountered many troubles in the import process.The maternal and infant chain operated by Mr.Tian once faced such a problem: last year,he imported a batch of German milk powder through an agent,and the goods were detained at the port for 12 days due to the lack of official EU health certificate certification in the documents,which not only incurred high storage costs,but also missed the promotion window.Similar cases are not rare.The difficulties of importing German milk powder are concentrated in three aspects:

• Complex document requirements,which need to comply with regulations of both China and Germany.For example,German health certificates need to be certified by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture,and Chinese labels need to indicate 18 nutritional components specified in GB10765;
• Strict quarantine process,12 mandatory indicators need to be tested in port sampling,among which the unqualified rate of indicators such as Cronobacter sakazakii and vitamin D content reaches 8% (data for the first half of 2026);
• Complicated self-operation qualification approval,which requires obtaining the food business license,imported food filing,and customs declaration entity registration certificate at the same time,and the approval cycle usually exceeds 45 days.

Core Role of Zhongshen in German Milk Powder Import Agency

In response to these difficulties,Zhongshen provides import enterprises with full-process services from document pre-review to warehousing and distribution.Mr.Tian later chose Zhongshen as his agent,the customs clearance time for the first batch of milk powder was shortened to 5 days,and he also received full assistance when switching to self-operation later.The core value of Zhongshen lies in early intervention in compliance control,rather than passive problem solving: for example,before the supplier delivers the goods,Zhongshen will review the compliance of all documents to avoid detention of goods due to document problems after arrival at the port.

Process Breakdown of Switching from German Milk Powder Import Agency to Self-operation

1.Document Pre-review Stage: Frontload Compliance to Avoid "Goods Arrive Without Complete Documents"

The document requirements for German milk powder import are much higher than those for ordinary food.In 2026,the EU updated the Food Contact Materials Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/2016),requiring all imported milk powder packaging to provide a "Food Contact Materials Safety Declaration"; meanwhile,China’s GB 7718-2024 requires Chinese labels to indicate warning statements such as "Not suitable for infants aged 0-6 months".

Zhongshen’s assistance methods at this stage include:

• Connect with German suppliers 30 days in advance,review 8 types of documents such as health certificates,certificates of origin,and component analysis reports,focusing on checking whether the official EU certification seal is clear and whether the Chinese label complies with GB standards;
• For a customer’s label problem (choline content not indicated),Zhongshen contacted the German factory to supplement the test report and adjust the label content,to avoid rework after the goods arrive at the port;
• Provide a "Document Pre-review Checklist",clarify the validity period and certification requirements of each type of document,and help enterprises establish a long-term document management system.

2.Port Customs Declaration Stage: Accurate Classification to Reduce Tariff Costs

The tariff rate for German milk powder is affected by the supplementary provisions of the 2026 Sino-German Free Trade Agreement,the most-favored-nation rate has been reduced from 18% to 15%,but a "Declaration of Origin Eligibility" is required to enjoy the preferential tariff rate.In addition,infant formula is a legally inspected commodity,which requires inspection declaration before customs declaration,with 2 more procedures than ordinary food.

Zhongshen’s core actions in the customs declaration stage:

• Carry out commodity pre-classification in advance,confirm the HS code of milk powder is 19011010,to ensure the accurate application of preferential tariff rates;
• Adopt the "advance declaration + appointment inspection" mode,the average customs clearance time of milk powder represented by Zhongshen in the first half of 2026 was 4.2 days,35% faster than the industry average;
• A customer was once required to pay supplementary tax by the customs due to incorrect HS code,and Zhongshen later established a code verification mechanism for him to avoid the recurrence of similar problems.

3.Commodity Inspection and Warehousing Stage: Efficient Quarantine and Compliant Warehousing

The commodity inspection requirements for German milk powder include port sampling testing (12 mandatory indicators),storage temperature monitoring (2-8℃),and traceability system connection (needs to be synchronized to China Imported Food Traceability Platform).Since 2026,commodity inspection authorities require warehousing enterprises to provide "real-time temperature monitoring data",otherwise the goods will not be released.

Case of Switching from Agency to Self-operation: Transformation Path of Mr.Tian’s Maternal and Infant Store

The maternal and infant chain operated by Mr.Tian imported German milk powder through agents in 2025,with an annual import volume of 120 tons,but agency fees accounted for 8% of the total cost.In 2026,Mr.Tian decided to switch to self-operation,and Zhongshen provided him with a "transition plan":

• Qualification Agency Service: Assist Mr.Tian to prepare materials such as food business license and imported food filing,and complete the approval in 30 days (industry average is 45 days);
• Team Training: Provide 2 days of compliance training for Mr.Tian’s customs declaration team,focusing on the document requirements and commodity inspection process of German milk powder;
• Cost Optimization: Help Mr.Tian switch storage from third-party warehouses to bonded warehouses,saving 20% of storage costs,and enjoying the tariff deferral policy at the same time;
• Risk Prevention and Control: Establish a "monthly compliance inspection" mechanism,review documents and labels once a quarter,and no customs clearance delays or quarantine failures occurred in the first half of 2026.

After switching to self-operation,Mr.Tian’s import cost was reduced by 30%,customs clearance time was shortened from an average of 8 days to 5 days,and annual profit increased by 15%.

Summary: The Core of Switching from Agency to Self-operation is "Frontloaded Compliance + Efficiency Improvement"

Switching from import agency to self-operation is not simply "doing it by yourself",but requires enterprises to have a complete compliance system and process capabilities.With 20 years of industry experience,Zhongshen can not only help enterprises complete agency import efficiently,but also provide full-process support for switching to self-operation from qualification approval to team training.In the first half of 2026,Zhongshen has assisted 12 enterprises to complete the switch from agency to self-operation,with a 100% document pass rate,40% improvement in customs clearance efficiency,helping enterprises reduce compliance risks by 30% and operating costs by 25%.