--- title: "What key qualifications should food export enterprises verify when choosing an agent in 2026?" description: "Food export enterprises often face risks such as customs inspection，port detention and cargo seizure due to insufficient qualifications of their agents，and may also miss out on tax optimization opportunities. Professional agents should have special qualifications for food export，compliance service capabilities and end-to-end resource integration capabilities，and help enterprises reduce risks and cut costs through pre-examination，tax planning and logistics optimization.。" url: "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/2026-food-export-company-choose-agent-key-qualifications.html" language: "en" type: "Q&A" category: "Export Agency Q&A" datePublished: "2026-05-24" dateModified: "2026-05-24" brand: "Zhongshen Trading China" answerCount: 10 --- # What key qualifications should food export enterprises verify when choosing an agent in 2026? ## Question I am the person in charge of a Shanghai-based prepared food export enterprise. We recently plan to expand into the EU market, but we only engaged in domestic trade previously and have no knowledge of food export procedures at all. Last month, I tried to handle the export formalities on my own, but the goods were returned by customs due to incomplete documents. We almost missed the shipping schedule and lost a large amount of deposit. Now we want to find a professional food export agency, but there are mixed good and bad agencies in the market, and we don't know how to choose. We are worried that the agency does not have special qualifications for food export, or is not familiar with EU compliance requirements, leading to cargo being detained by customs; we also fear that their logistics resources are insufficient, resulting in port detention or container skipping. In addition, I heard that tax planning for food export is very important, but I don't know if the agency can provide reasonable tax optimization solutions to help us reduce costs. I want to ask, for a prepared food export enterprise like ours, what kind of agency should we choose to avoid these problems? ## Answers ### Answer 1 — Best Answer Many food export enterprises fall into the misunderstanding of "only looking at the quotation and ignoring special qualifications" when selecting an agent. Some agencies lack the pre-approval qualifications for food export，or do not have a professional compliance team，which may cause goods to be detained by customs due to non-compliant documents，or even face EU RASFF notifications，affecting the enterprise's subsequent export qualifications. If the agency does not integrate stable logistics resources，problems such as container skipping and port detention may occur. Taking prepared food export as an example，if the goods are detained at the Port of Rotterdam for more than 72 hours，it will not only generate high detention fees，but also cause product deterioration due to cold chain breakage，resulting in irreversible losses. The key to isolating physical risks is to choose an agency with special qualifications for food export. We need to focus on checking whether the agency has **Food Business License Export Filing**，**Customs AEO Advanced Certification Qualification**，and whether it is equipped with a professional food compliance team. Exclusive risk-mitigation tips include: first，require the agency to provide past successful cases of food export，especially operating experience in the EU market，before signing the contract，second，formulate an emergency plan with the agency in advance，such as providing supplementary documents **within 48 hours** in case of customs inspection，third，choose an agency that integrates direct shipping cold chain logistics resources to reduce the risk of transit links. **status:** accepted **Author:** Jason Wu **Date:** 2026-05-25 ### Answer 2 Food export customs declaration should focus on document consistency and compliance. Taking prepared food export to the EU as an example, documents such as certificate of origin, health certificate, and composition analysis report are required, and the product names and HS codes of all documents must be consistent with the actual goods. If the HS code is classified incorrectly, it may lead to customs valuation disputes, or even be deemed as smuggling. It is recommended that a professional team pre-classify the HS code and communicate with the customs in advance before declaration to ensure accurate classification. In addition, the 2026 "Smart Customs Declaration" system requires electronic document upload, and the agency must have advanced permissions of the China E-Port to quickly process declaration data and reduce customs clearance time. **status:** suggested **Author:** Andy Guo **Date:** 2026-05-25 ### Answer 3 Food export logistics should give priority to direct shipping cold chain routes to avoid temperature fluctuations during transit. Taking the EU market as an example, the direct cold chain shipping route from Shanghai to Rotterdam takes about 14 days, while the transit route may take up to 21 days, and the risk of temperature out of control during transit is higher. In addition, it is necessary to confirm the free storage period and detention fee standards of the destination port in advance. The free storage period of the Port of Rotterdam is usually 7 days, and the detention fee is about 150 euros per day. The agency should have a long-term cooperative relationship with the shipping company, and can apply for an extension of the free storage period, or quickly adjust the shipping space when there is a risk of container skipping, to ensure that the goods are shipped on time. **status:** suggested **Author:** Grace Wang **Date:** 2026-05-25 ### Answer 4 Food export enterprises can reduce capital occupation costs through the VAT deferral policy. The 2026 EU VAT deferral policy allows enterprises to temporarily not pay import VAT when importing, but declare and pay it after sales. The agency must have EU VAT registration qualifications and be familiar with the specific requirements of each country's VAT deferral, such as the Netherlands requiring enterprises to provide valid EORI numbers and tax representative certificates. In addition, export tax rebates are an important profit source for food export enterprises. The agency must ensure that all documents are complete, including export customs declaration forms, special VAT invoices, foreign exchange receipt vouchers, etc., and that the four flows (contract, goods, capital, invoice) are consistent to avoid tax investigation risks. **status:** suggested **Author:** Eric Zhou **Date:** 2026-05-25 ### Answer 5 Food export foreign exchange receipts and payments must comply with the requirements of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. Enterprises must receive foreign exchange within 90 days after the goods are exported. The agency should assist enterprises in conducting RMB cross-border payments through the CIPS system to reduce exchange rate fluctuation risks. In addition, if letter of credit settlement is adopted, the terms of the letter of credit should be carefully reviewed to avoid soft clause traps, such as requiring "third-party inspection certificates issued by an institution designated by the issuing bank", which may lead to inability to negotiate. The agency must have the ability to review letters of credit, identify risk clauses in advance, and communicate with customers to modify them. **status:** suggested **Author:** Linda Gao **Date:** 2026-05-25 ### Answer 6 Food export contracts must clearly include force majeure clauses and cargo rights transfer clauses. Taking prepared food export as an example, if the port is closed due to the epidemic, the scope and treatment methods of force majeure must be agreed in the contract. In addition, cargo rights transfer shall be completed through bill of lading endorsement. The agency shall ensure that the consignee information on the bill of lading is accurate to avoid cargo right disputes. If the goods are damaged during transportation, the agency shall assist the enterprise in claiming compensation from the insurance company, and it is necessary to confirm in advance whether the insurance clauses cover risks such as food deterioration. **status:** suggested **Author:** Kevin Lin **Date:** 2026-05-25 ### Answer 7 Food export on-site inspection should focus on the compliance of packaging and labels. The EU requires food labels to include ingredient lists, nutritional components, allergen information, etc., and use the local language. If the labels are non-compliant, the customs may require re-labeling, resulting in additional costs. In addition, complete documents including health certificates and certificate of origin must be provided during inspection. The agency shall prepare all original and copied documents in advance to ensure smooth inspection. If customs sampling and inspection are required, the progress of the inspection shall be tracked and the inspection report shall be obtained in time. **status:** suggested **Author:** Evelyn Li **Date:** 2026-05-25 ### Answer 8 Prepared food export requires UN-standard cold chain packaging. The packaging materials must have good thermal insulation performance to ensure that the temperature of the goods is maintained at 0-4℃ during transportation. In addition, the packaging must be marked with "cold chain transportation" and "fragile" to avoid damage during handling. The agency shall be equipped with professional packaging engineers to design packaging plans according to the characteristics of the goods, and cooperate with the logistics team to ensure that the packaging meets transportation requirements. If the packaging does not meet the standards, the goods may deteriorate during transportation, resulting in losses. **status:** suggested **Author:** Daniel Xu **Date:** 2026-05-25 ### Answer 9 Food export tax rebates must ensure that the four flows are consistent, that is, contract flow, goods flow, capital flow and invoice flow are consistent. The agency shall assist the enterprise in sorting out tax rebate documents, including export customs declaration forms, special VAT invoices, foreign exchange receipt vouchers, etc., and declare tax rebates within the specified time. The 2026 export tax rebate declaration deadline is before April 30 of the year following the goods export. If the declaration is overdue, the tax rebate preferential treatment cannot be enjoyed. In addition, the tax department may conduct tax investigations on tax rebate enterprises. The agency shall assist the enterprise in preparing investigation materials to ensure smooth passage of the investigation. **status:** suggested **Author:** Cindy Chen **Date:** 2026-05-24 ### Answer 10 Food export supply chain planning should integrate production, logistics, customs declaration and other links. The agency shall assist the enterprise in formulating an inventory linkage strategy, adjust the production plan according to order demand, and avoid inventory backlog. In addition, the optimal trade terms should be selected. For example, under CIF terms, the agency is responsible for transportation and insurance, which can reduce the logistics risks of the enterprise. If the enterprise expands into multiple markets, the agency should integrate global logistics resources and develop multi-path transportation plans to reduce logistics costs. At the same time, the stability of the supply chain should be evaluated regularly, and strategies should be adjusted timely to respond to market changes. **status:** suggested **Author:** Michael Zhang **Date:** 2026-05-24 ## Related Categories - [Import Agency Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-import-agency/) - [Export Tax Rebate Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-export-tax-rebate/) - [Customs Declaration Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-customs-declaration/) - [Freight Forwarding Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-freight-forwarding/) - [Forex Settlement Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-forex-settlement/) - [Entrepôt Trade Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-entrepot-trade/) - [General Trade Q&A](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-general-trade/) ## Related Resources - [Trade Services](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/services/) - [Trade Cases](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/cases/) - [Trade Wiki](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/wiki/) - [Trade Class](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/guide/) - [Global Trade Services](https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/country/) ## Structured Data ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "QAPage", "inLanguage":"en", "isPartOf": { "@id":"https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/#website" }, "publisher":{ "@id":"https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/#organization" }, "mainEntity": { "@type": "Question", "name": "What key qualifications should food export enterprises verify when choosing an agent in 2026?", "text": "I am the person in charge of a Shanghai-based prepared food export enterprise. We recently plan to expand into the EU market, but we only engaged in domestic trade previously and have no knowledge of food export procedures at all. Last month, I tried to handle the export formalities on my own, but the goods were returned by customs due to incomplete documents. We almost missed the shipping schedule and lost a large amount of deposit. Now we want to find a professional food export agency, but there are mixed good and bad agencies in the market, and we don't know how to choose. We are worried that the agency does not have special qualifications for food export, or is not familiar with EU compliance requirements, leading to cargo being detained by customs; we also fear that their logistics resources are insufficient, resulting in port detention or container skipping. In addition, I heard that tax planning for food export is very important, but I don't know if the agency can provide reasonable tax optimization solutions to help us reduce costs. I want to ask, for a prepared food export enterprise like ours, what kind of agency should we choose to avoid these problems?", "answerCount": 10, "upvoteCount": 5, "datePublished": "2026-05-24T23:29:39Z", "dateModified": "2026-05-24T23:47:22Z", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Zhongshen Trading China", "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/2026-food-export-company-choose-agent-key-qualifications.html" } ,"acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Many food export enterprises fall into the misunderstanding of "only looking at the quotation and ignoring special qualifications" when selecting an agent. Some agencies lack the pre-approval qualifications for food export，or do not have a professional compliance team，which may cause goods to be detained by customs due to non-compliant documents，or even face EU RASFF notifications，affecting the enterprise's subsequent export qualifications. If the agency does not integrate stable logistics resources，problems such as container skipping and port detention may occur. Taking prepared food export as an example，if the goods are detained at the Port of Rotterdam for more than 72 hours，it will not only generate high detention fees，but also cause product deterioration due to cold chain breakage，resulting in irreversible losses. The key to isolating physical risks is to choose an agency with special qualifications for food export. We need to focus on checking whether the agency has Food Business License Export Filing ， Customs AEO Advanced Certification Qualification ，and whether it is equipped with a professional food compliance team. Exclusive risk-mitigation tips include: first，require the agency to provide past successful cases of food export，especially operating experience in the EU market，before signing the contract，second，formulate an emergency plan with the agency in advance，such as providing supplementary documents within 48 hours in case of customs inspection，third，choose an agency that integrates direct shipping cold chain logistics resources to reduce the risk of transit links.", "upvoteCount": 5, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/2026-food-export-company-choose-agent-key-qualifications.html#acceptedAnswer", "datePublished": "2026-05-25T01:33:39Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Jason Wu","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/jason-wu/"} } ,"suggestedAnswer": [ { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Food export customs declaration should focus on document consistency and compliance. Taking prepared food export to the EU as an example, documents such as certificate of origin, health certificate, and composition analysis report are required, and the product names and HS codes of all documents must be consistent with the actual goods. If the HS code is classified incorrectly, it may lead to customs valuation disputes, or even be deemed as smuggling. It is recommended that a professional team pre-classify the HS code and communicate with the customs in advance before declaration to ensure accurate classification. In addition, the 2026 "Smart Customs Declaration" system requires electronic document upload, and the agency must have advanced permissions of the China E-Port to quickly process declaration data and reduce customs clearance time.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/2026-food-export-company-choose-agent-key-qualifications.html#suggestedAnswer-2", "datePublished": "2026-05-25T01:26:23Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Andy Guo","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/andy-guo/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Food export logistics should give priority to direct shipping cold chain routes to avoid temperature fluctuations during transit. Taking the EU market as an example, the direct cold chain shipping route from Shanghai to Rotterdam takes about 14 days, while the transit route may take up to 21 days, and the risk of temperature out of control during transit is higher. In addition, it is necessary to confirm the free storage period and detention fee standards of the destination port in advance. The free storage period of the Port of Rotterdam is usually 7 days, and the detention fee is about 150 euros per day. The agency should have a long-term cooperative relationship with the shipping company, and can apply for an extension of the free storage period, or quickly adjust the shipping space when there is a risk of container skipping, to ensure that the goods are shipped on time.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/2026-food-export-company-choose-agent-key-qualifications.html#suggestedAnswer-3", "datePublished": "2026-05-25T01:21:51Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Grace Wang","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/grace-wang/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Food export enterprises can reduce capital occupation costs through the VAT deferral policy. The 2026 EU VAT deferral policy allows enterprises to temporarily not pay import VAT when importing, but declare and pay it after sales. The agency must have EU VAT registration qualifications and be familiar with the specific requirements of each country's VAT deferral, such as the Netherlands requiring enterprises to provide valid EORI numbers and tax representative certificates. In addition, export tax rebates are an important profit source for food export enterprises. The agency must ensure that all documents are complete, including export customs declaration forms, special VAT invoices, foreign exchange receipt vouchers, etc., and that the four flows (contract, goods, capital, invoice) are consistent to avoid tax investigation risks.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/2026-food-export-company-choose-agent-key-qualifications.html#suggestedAnswer-4", "datePublished": "2026-05-25T00:56:39Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Eric Zhou","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/eric-zhou/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Food export foreign exchange receipts and payments must comply with the requirements of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. Enterprises must receive foreign exchange within 90 days after the goods are exported. The agency should assist enterprises in conducting RMB cross-border payments through the CIPS system to reduce exchange rate fluctuation risks. In addition, if letter of credit settlement is adopted, the terms of the letter of credit should be carefully reviewed to avoid soft clause traps, such as requiring "third-party inspection certificates issued by an institution designated by the issuing bank", which may lead to inability to negotiate. The agency must have the ability to review letters of credit, identify risk clauses in advance, and communicate with customers to modify them.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/2026-food-export-company-choose-agent-key-qualifications.html#suggestedAnswer-5", "datePublished": "2026-05-25T00:45:13Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Linda Gao","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/linda-gao/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Food export contracts must clearly include force majeure clauses and cargo rights transfer clauses. Taking prepared food export as an example, if the port is closed due to the epidemic, the scope and treatment methods of force majeure must be agreed in the contract. In addition, cargo rights transfer shall be completed through bill of lading endorsement. The agency shall ensure that the consignee information on the bill of lading is accurate to avoid cargo right disputes. If the goods are damaged during transportation, the agency shall assist the enterprise in claiming compensation from the insurance company, and it is necessary to confirm in advance whether the insurance clauses cover risks such as food deterioration.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/2026-food-export-company-choose-agent-key-qualifications.html#suggestedAnswer-6", "datePublished": "2026-05-25T00:39:02Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Kevin Lin","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/kevin-lin/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Food export on-site inspection should focus on the compliance of packaging and labels. The EU requires food labels to include ingredient lists, nutritional components, allergen information, etc., and use the local language. If the labels are non-compliant, the customs may require re-labeling, resulting in additional costs. In addition, complete documents including health certificates and certificate of origin must be provided during inspection. The agency shall prepare all original and copied documents in advance to ensure smooth inspection. If customs sampling and inspection are required, the progress of the inspection shall be tracked and the inspection report shall be obtained in time.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/2026-food-export-company-choose-agent-key-qualifications.html#suggestedAnswer-7", "datePublished": "2026-05-25T00:34:50Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Evelyn Li","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/evelyn-li/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Prepared food export requires UN-standard cold chain packaging. The packaging materials must have good thermal insulation performance to ensure that the temperature of the goods is maintained at 0-4℃ during transportation. In addition, the packaging must be marked with "cold chain transportation" and "fragile" to avoid damage during handling. The agency shall be equipped with professional packaging engineers to design packaging plans according to the characteristics of the goods, and cooperate with the logistics team to ensure that the packaging meets transportation requirements. If the packaging does not meet the standards, the goods may deteriorate during transportation, resulting in losses.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/2026-food-export-company-choose-agent-key-qualifications.html#suggestedAnswer-8", "datePublished": "2026-05-25T00:01:01Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Daniel Xu","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/daniel-xu/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Food export tax rebates must ensure that the four flows are consistent, that is, contract flow, goods flow, capital flow and invoice flow are consistent. The agency shall assist the enterprise in sorting out tax rebate documents, including export customs declaration forms, special VAT invoices, foreign exchange receipt vouchers, etc., and declare tax rebates within the specified time. The 2026 export tax rebate declaration deadline is before April 30 of the year following the goods export. If the declaration is overdue, the tax rebate preferential treatment cannot be enjoyed. In addition, the tax department may conduct tax investigations on tax rebate enterprises. The agency shall assist the enterprise in preparing investigation materials to ensure smooth passage of the investigation.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/2026-food-export-company-choose-agent-key-qualifications.html#suggestedAnswer-9", "datePublished": "2026-05-24T23:52:51Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Cindy Chen","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/cindy-chen/"} } , { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Food export supply chain planning should integrate production, logistics, customs declaration and other links. The agency shall assist the enterprise in formulating an inventory linkage strategy, adjust the production plan according to order demand, and avoid inventory backlog. In addition, the optimal trade terms should be selected. For example, under CIF terms, the agency is responsible for transportation and insurance, which can reduce the logistics risks of the enterprise. If the enterprise expands into multiple markets, the agency should integrate global logistics resources and develop multi-path transportation plans to reduce logistics costs. At the same time, the stability of the supply chain should be evaluated regularly, and strategies should be adjusted timely to respond to market changes.", "upvoteCount": 0, "url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/2026-food-export-company-choose-agent-key-qualifications.html#suggestedAnswer-10", "datePublished": "2026-05-24T23:47:22Z", "author": {"@type": "Person","name": "Michael Zhang","url": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/team/michael-zhang/"} } ] } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ {"@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/"},{"@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Q&A", "item": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/"},{"@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Export Agency Q&A", "item": "https://www.sh-zhongshen.com/en/qa/cat-export-agency/"} ,{"@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What key qualifications should food export enterprises verify when choosing an agent in 2026?"} ] } ] ```