How to Choose a Dried Fruit Export Agency? 3 Core Key Services to Check

2026 German Dried Fruit Market Demand and Export Challenges

According to data from the German Snacks Association in the first quarter of 2026,Asian dried fruit accounts for 40% of Germany’s imported dried fruit,with annual demand growing 12% year-on-year.Among them,dried apricots and dried peaches have an export growth rate of over 15%,as their sweet and sour taste fits local consumer preferences.However,many domestic dried fruit manufacturers have encountered setbacks in export attempts due to policy barriers and procedural details: a dried fruit manufacturer in Zhejiang once had its cargo detained at the Port of Hamburg for more than 10 days because packaging materials did not comply with EU food contact regulations,resulting in nearly RMB 20,000 in port detention fees; another client from Jiangsu overpaid more than RMB 30,000 in tariffs for a single order due to incorrect HS Code,which led to the tariff rate being adjusted from 5% to 12%.

Core Policy Barriers for Dried Fruit Export to Germany and Value of Agency Services

As a core EU member state,Germany’s food import compliance requirements are fully aligned with EU regulations,and a new "full-chain product traceability record" requirement was added in 2026.Manager Cai,Customs Declaration Supervisor at Zhongshen,pointed out that the three key policy barriers for dried fruit export to Germany directly determine the core value of agency services:

• Food contact materials must comply with Regulation (EU) No 10/2011,and packaging must be accompanied by a migration test report with LFGB certification;
• HS Code must accurately match product ingredients (such as sugar content,type of additives),otherwise it will trigger tariff bracket adjustment;
• The health certificate must be issued by a German-recognized third-party institution (such as TÜV Rheinland),with a strictly limited validity period of 6 months.

Manager Cai added that Zhongshen has been engaged in food export agency services for more than 20 years,and its service team for the German market will get involved in orders 15 working days in advance,follow up the whole process from product compliance review to documentation preparation,and help customers avoid more than 90% of policy risks.

Breakdown of Core Service Modules of Zhongshen’s Dried Fruit Export Agency

I.Germany-Exclusive Documentation Compliance Services

German Customs has 4 more review dimensions for dried fruit export documents than ordinary goods,and a new "additive use compliance declaration" requirement was added in 2026.Zhongshen’s documentation team will organize all materials in advance in accordance with the "Pre-audit Standards of German Customs" to avoid rejection due to missing documents during on-site customs clearance.Manager Cai gave an example: last year,a dried fruit manufacturer in Shandong exported dried apples,and was required to supplement materials by German Customs because the document did not state that "the addition amount of potassium sorbate meets EU standards".Zhongshen only took 1 working day to assist in completing the notarization of the declaration,avoiding cargo detention.

• Accurate HS Code matching: synchronized with the 8-digit code database updated by German Customs in 2026,code review is carried out 3 days in advance for each order;
• LFGB certification pre-audit: cooperate with 12 qualified domestic testing institutions to confirm in advance whether the migration test report of packaging materials is valid;
• Assistance in traceability record handling: sort out full-chain product traceability data from raw material procurement contracts to export bills of lading,complying with the new 2026 regulations of German Customs.

II.German Port Customs Clearance Acceleration Services

In 2026,the X-ray scanning rate for food goods at the Port of Hamburg and Port of Bremen in Germany has increased to 60%,and the average customs clearance time has been extended from 3 days to 5 days.Zhongshen has established a green channel with the designated customs brokers of these two ports,shortening customs clearance time through an advance pre-audit mechanism.The following are common risk points of German customs clearance and Zhongshen’s solutions:

III.Export Tax Rebate Acceleration Services

In 2026,"product traceability record" was added to the declaration materials for export tax rebate for Germany,and many manufacturers have their tax rebate delayed to more than 20 working days due to incomplete materials.Supervisor Long,Tax Rebate Specialist at Zhongshen,introduced that they have shortened the tax rebate processing time to within 12 working days through process optimization,4 days faster than the industry average:

• Sort out traceability records in advance: organize full-chain data from raw material procurement contracts,production records to export bills of lading into standardized documents;
• Connect to tax green channel: establish a "special channel for food export tax rebate" with Shanghai tax authority,and review materials within 3 working days after submission;
• Automatic declaration triggered by foreign exchange receipt: after the customer’s foreign exchange is received,the system automatically matches tax rebate materials without additional operation.

Supervisor Long gave an example: last year,for a RMB 1.2 million export tax rebate of a Jiangsu client,Zhongshen only took 10 working days to complete the fund disbursement,8 days faster than the 18 days the client spent on self-declaration before.

Zhongshen’s Practical Experience in Improving Customs Clearance and Tax Rebate Efficiency

Manager Cai mentioned that his team has handled more than 200 orders of dried fruit exported to Germany,among which there is a typical case: at the end of 2025,a Zhejiang dried fruit manufacturer exported dried apricots to Germany,and the cargo was temporarily detained at the Port of Hamburg because the LFGB certification report of the packaging materials expired.Zhongshen assisted the customer to contact a domestic testing institution to complete the supplementary migration test within 3 days,and simultaneously carried out pre-audit with German Customs.Finally,the cargo was only delayed for 2 days,and no port detention fee was incurred.

In addition,for small-batch dried fruit exports (≤1000kg),Zhongshen has launched the "LCL Customs Clearance + Centralized Tax Rebate" service,which not only reduces customs clearance costs,but also shortens the tax rebate processing time to within 15 working days (the industry average for small-batch orders is 22 days).

Customized Services Adapt to Different Dried Fruit Export Demands

In addition to the German market,Zhongshen’s agency services also cover 12 major dried fruit importing countries including the Netherlands,Belgium and Canada.For different product types,the service team will customize exclusive solutions:

• Organic dried fruit: assist in export docking for EU Organic certification;
• Sugar-free dried fruit: pre-review whether product labels meet German "low-sugar food" labeling requirements;
• Small-batch trial orders: provide "LCL service starting from 100kg" to reduce trial and error costs.

Manager Cai stated that the core of dried fruit export agency is not "handling procedures",but "understanding policies".The food compliance requirements of each country are updated every year,and only agencies with deep industry experience can help customers accurately avoid risks.If you have dried fruit export needs,you can choose Zhongshen’s customized services according to your product type and target country,to avoid losses caused by unfamiliarity with policies.