Full Process Service Guide for Qingdao Port Import Agency

Common Difficulties and Industry Background of Food Import at Qingdao Port

In the first half of 2026,the import food trade volume of Qingdao Port increased by 18% year on year,among which pre-packaged food from Japan,South Korea and Europe accounted for more than 60%.Many small and medium-sized trade enterprises reported that they need to connect with at least 5 departments from signing the procurement contract to customs clearance of goods,and problems such as document mismatch and commodity inspection order rejection may occur with a little carelessness.For example,at the end of last year,a trading company imported chocolate from Germany,which was rejected by Qingdao Customs because the Chinese label did not mark allergen information.The goods were stranded at the port for 7 days,and the extra storage cost alone exceeded 20,000 yuan.

Core Difficulties of Food Import at Qingdao Port

• Complex document requirements: More than 8 types of documents such as certificate of origin,health certificate and ingredient analysis form are required,and document formats vary greatly from country to country;
• Strict commodity inspection and quarantine: According to the Administrative Measures for Port Inspection and Quarantine of Imported Food implemented in 2025,pre-packaged food must complete Chinese label filing 30 days in advance,and cold chain food must provide full-process temperature monitoring records;
• Poor connection of customs clearance process: When enterprises connect with customs brokers,commodity inspection institutions and warehousing companies on their own,information transmission delay often occurs,resulting in goods being stranded at the port.

Core Role of Zhongshen in Qingdao Port Import Food Agency

Zhongshen has specialized in foreign trade agency services for over 20 years,and has established a full-process service system of "pre-audit - on-site connection - follow-up support" according to the characteristics of food import at Qingdao Port.Since last year,Zhongshen has assisted more than 300 enterprises to complete customs clearance of imported food at Qingdao Port,and the average customs clearance time is 3 days shorter than the industry average.

General Manager Deng,head of Zhongshen’s Qingdao Port business,said: "Many enterprises think that import is just ’finding a customs broker to submit materials’,but in fact,Qingdao Port has stricter quarantine requirements for food than other ports.For example,matcha powder imported from Japan and South Korea requires an additional pesticide residue test report,which is a point that many enterprises easily ignore."

Full Process Disassembly of Qingdao Port Import Food Agency

1.Document Pre-audit Stage: Avoid Compliance Risks in Advance

Document review for food import is the first checkpoint of customs clearance.Qingdao Port Customs requires all documents to be submitted for pre-audit 7 days before the arrival of goods.Zhongshen will arrange special personnel to check the following core documents:

• Certificate of origin: It is necessary to confirm whether it is the original copy issued by the official authority,and the place of origin is consistent with the mark on the goods packaging;
• Health certificate: It must include the statements of "complying with the food safety standards of the exporting country" and "suitable for human consumption",and the validity period shall not exceed 6 months;
• Ingredient analysis form: The content of all ingredients must be marked in detail,especially additives must comply with the National Food Safety Standard for Uses of Food Additives (GB2760-2024);
• Chinese label: It must be filed through the China Import and Export Food Label Management System 30 days in advance,and the marked content must meet the requirements of GB7718-2024 (for example,allergen information must be marked in bold font).

Zhongshen’s document pre-audit team will complete the review within 1 working day,and issue a Document Correction List if problems are found.In March 2026,Ms.Feng’s trading company imported matcha powder from Japan.During the pre-audit,Zhongshen found that the ingredient analysis form did not mark the lead content test result,and assisted her to contact the Japanese supplier to supplement the materials,avoiding order rejection after the goods arrived at the port.

2.Port Customs Declaration Stage: Efficiently Connect with Customs System

Qingdao Port implements the "advance declaration" system,and customs declaration forms can be submitted 24 hours before the arrival of goods.Zhongshen has established a green connection channel with Qingdao Customs,and pre-audit feedback can be obtained within 4 hours after the submission of the customs declaration form.In view of the special requirements for food import,Zhongshen will highlight the following contents in the customs declaration form:

• Cold chain food: The number of full-process temperature monitoring record must be filled in,and connected with the cold chain system data of the warehousing company;
• Special food: For example,infant formula food must provide the number of Import Registration Certificate for Special Food;
• Products with sensitive origin: For example,dairy products imported from Europe must be marked with the Certificate of Mad Cow Disease Free Epidemic Area.

3.Commodity Inspection and Quarantine Stage: Cooperate On-site for Fast Clearance

The on-site inspection rate of food by the commodity inspection department of Qingdao Port is about 15%.Zhongshen will arrange special personnel to accompany the inspection and focus on cooperating with the following work:

• Label verification: On-site check whether the Chinese label is consistent with the filing content,such as font size and position of allergen information;
• Sample sampling: Assist the sampling personnel to draw samples that meet the requirements (for example,3 different batches of liquid food need to be sampled),and fill in the Sample Submission Form;
• Cold chain verification: Provide full-process temperature monitoring records to confirm whether the temperature during transportation is maintained at 0-4℃ (for refrigerated food) or below -18℃ (for frozen food).

In May 2026,an enterprise imported frozen beef steak from France.Because the temperature record during transportation showed "1 time exceeding -18℃",Zhongshen assisted it to provide the temperature abnormality explanation and the supplementary qualification certificate from the supplier,and finally passed the commodity inspection smoothly,avoiding the destruction of the goods.

4.Warehousing and Distribution Stage: Connect the Last Mile

The storage of imported food at Qingdao Port must meet the requirement of "constant temperature and humidity".The 3 warehousing companies cooperating with Zhongshen have all obtained the Special Warehousing Qualification for Imported Food,and can provide:

• Temporary storage: Goods can be stored for free for 3 days after customs clearance,and charges are based on the lowest market price after exceeding the period;
• Sorting and distribution: Provide same-city distribution or national logistics according to the needs of enterprises,with full-process cold chain monitoring;
• Labeling: If Chinese labels need to be supplemented after the goods arrive at the port,labeling can be completed at the warehousing site without secondary transportation.

Comparison Between Self-operated Import by Enterprises and Zhongshen Agency Service

Value Summary of Zhongshen Agency Service

Since 2026,Zhongshen has helped food import enterprises at Qingdao Port shorten the customs clearance time by more than 40%,and reduced compliance risk losses by more than 2 million yuan.For example,a medium-sized trading company imports through Zhongshen’s agency,which can save about 8,000 yuan in storage fees per month,and has never encountered commodity inspection order rejection.

General Manager Deng said: "The core of Qingdao Port import agency is not ’fast’,but ’stable’ -- it should not only meet the strict requirements of customs,but also help enterprises control costs.Our team is familiar with every process detail of Qingdao Port and can predict risks in advance,which is impossible for many enterprises to do by themselves."