I.2026 Food Import Market Status and Operation Difficulties

In 2026,the domestic consumer market demand for imported food continues to be segmented,with New Zealand dairy products,Southeast Asian snack foods,European baking ingredients and other categories occupying the mainstream.However,food import involves supervision from multiple departments including customs,market regulation,agriculture and rural affairs,so enterprises often face complex requirements such as access directory verification,overseas production enterprise registration,Chinese label compliance,animal and plant quarantine approval.Problems such as inconsistent documents,label defects,unqualified quarantine may lead to cargo detention,return or even destruction,causing double losses of time and capital.

In actual operation,enterprises generally encounter three typical dilemmas: First,access qualification verification is time-consuming and laborious.Registration information of food enterprises exporting to China in some countries is updated frequently,which is difficult for enterprises to grasp in time.Second,Chinese label design is easy to cross regulatory red lines.It is common that details such as nutrient labeling units,additive use scopes,allergen prompts do not meet the National Food Safety Standards.Third,enterprises lack experience in responding to port inspection,sampling and testing cycle is uncertain,and storage demurrage costs remain high.These difficulties make professional agency services a rigid demand for efficient customs clearance.

II.Core Value of Zhongshen in Food Import Agency

Based in Shanghai Port for 20 years,Zhongshen focuses on food import agency services,and is familiar with regulatory characteristics of various foods and port operation practices.The company is equipped with professional customs declaration and inspection teams,and maintains regular communication with customs and commodity inspection departments,which can identify document risks in advance,optimize declaration schemes,coordinate inspection processes,and help customers shorten customs clearance cycles and reduce compliance costs.

Specifically,the value of Zhongshen is reflected in three levels: First,pre-risk identification capability.At the order receiving stage,we conduct full pre-review on overseas supplier qualifications,product formulas and label drafts,and intercept problems before goods are shipped.Second,accurate document preparation capability.We sort out customized document lists according to different food categories to ensure declaration elements are accurate at one time.Third,efficient port coordination capability.We track cargo dynamics in real time through digital systems,and flexibly allocate storage resources to minimize inspection waiting time.This full-process embedded service mode frees enterprises from tedious compliance affairs,allowing them to focus on market development and channel construction.

III.Full Process Disassembly and Compliance Key Points of Food Import Agency

1.Document Pre-review and Access Qualification Verification

Document pre-review is the first line of defense for food import.Zhongshen focuses on verifying three core contents in this link: First,registration qualification of overseas production enterprises,confirming whether they are included in the Registration List of Overseas Food Production Enterprises for Import published by the General Administration of Customs,and their registration scope covers the product categories to be imported.Second,product formula compliance.We check whether the use scope and dosage of additives exceed limits,and whether nutrients meet mandatory labeling requirements against China’s national food safety standards.Third,Chinese label pre-review.We audit label drafts according to the General Rules for Prepackaged Food Labels,focusing on standardization and completeness of elements including product name,ingredient list,net content,production date,shelf life,storage conditions,country of origin,importer information,nutrition fact table.

Take New Zealand dairy products as an example,Zhongshen will additionally verify whether the format of health certificate issued by the Ministry for Primary Industries of New Zealand meets the latest requirements of Chinese customs,and check whether the name and address of the production enterprise on the certificate are completely consistent with those on the registration list.For products containing special ingredients such as bovine colostrum and lactoferrin,we will also verify whether they have obtained the Administrative License for New Food Raw Materials.This extremely fine-grained pre-review work can solve more than 90% of document problems before shipment.

2.Port Customs Declaration and Accurate Tax Calculation

The core challenges in port customs declaration link lie in commodity classification accuracy,origin certificate preferential qualification determination,and royalty declaration completeness.Zhongshen’s customs declaration team is familiar with classification rules for food commodities,and can accurately distinguish the impact of different processing technologies and packaging forms on tariff codes,avoiding the risk of retroactive tax collection by customs caused by classification errors.For origin certificates,the team will carefully audit the consistency of certificate format,visa authority seal,product description with actual goods,to ensure customers can smoothly enjoy preferential agreement tariffs.

In terms of tax calculation,Zhongshen has developed an intelligent calculation tool,which can quickly calculate accurate tax amount according to parameters including cargo CIF price,applicable tariff rate,value-added tax rate,consumption tax (if applicable).For cases involving royalties such as trademark royalties and technology licensing fees,the team will assist customers to judge whether the fees should be included in the dutiable value according to customs valuation rules,and guide preparation of corresponding contracts,invoices and other supporting documents to ensure declaration compliance.

3.Commodity Inspection and Sampling Test Response

Commodity inspection is a key control point for food import.Zhongshen provides three core services in this link: First,inspection site coordination.We arrange special personnel to accompany customs inspection,quickly respond to inquiries from inspection officials,and provide supplementary documents in time.Second,sampling and testing tracking.For items requiring laboratory testing,we assist customers to select qualified laboratories,track testing progress,and coordinate expedited processing.Third,unqualified disposal guidance.If test results show certain indicators are unqualified,the team will immediately analyze the reasons,judge whether re-inspection is possible,or assist customers to handle return and destruction procedures to minimize losses.

In 2026,customs has increased the sampling ratio for imported food,especially for products imported for the first time,from high-risk areas,or containing special raw materials.Through historical data accumulation,Zhongshen can predict which products have higher sampling probability,and advise customers to prepare reserve samples and reserve testing time in advance to avoid affecting launch plans.

4.Warehousing Logistics and Follow-up Supervision Cooperation

The warehousing and logistics link after cargo release should not be ignored.Zhongshen provides bonded warehouses and ordinary warehouses that meet food storage requirements,ensuring temperature and humidity conditions meet product characteristics,and avoiding quality changes of goods during storage.For goods requiring rectification operations such as labeling and repackaging,the warehouse is equipped with professional equipment and personnel,and completes rectification under customs supervision to ensure process compliance.

In terms of follow-up supervision,Zhongshen assists customers to establish sales record ledgers for imported food,recording information including product name,specification,quantity,production date,import date,purchaser name and contact information,to meet traceability requirements of market regulatory authorities.For recalled food,the team can quickly locate inventory batches,assist customers to launch recall procedures,and fulfill the main responsibility of enterprises.

IV.Practical Case: Operation Record of New Zealand Infant Formula Milk Powder Import

Mr.Yan runs an imported food trading company,and plans to import a batch of infant formula milk powder from New Zealand.After receiving the order,Zhongshen first verified whether the New Zealand production enterprise is included in the Registration List of Overseas Infant Formula Milk Powder Production Enterprises of the General Administration of Customs of China,and confirmed the registration qualification is valid.Then,for various nutrients in the product formula,we assisted Mr.Yan to prepare supporting materials that meet China’s national standards.In the Chinese label design link,Zhongshen audited the label draft item by item according to the National Food Safety Standard: General Rules for Prepackaged Food Labels,found that the labeling unit of vitamin A in the nutrition fact table did not meet requirements,and notified Mr.Yan to modify it in time,avoiding the risk of unqualified label during port inspection.

After the goods arrived at the port,Zhongshen coordinated with customs to implement fast inspection.During the sampling and testing period,the goods were arranged to enter the bonded warehouse,which not only met regulatory requirements,but also avoided high container detention fees.Finally,this batch of goods completed all customs clearance procedures within 15 working days,and was launched for sale one week earlier than the customer expected.Mr.Yan feedback that after entrusting Zhongshen as the agent,document preparation time was shortened by 40%,customs clearance efficiency increased by 30%,and overall cost decreased by 15%.

V.Long-term Value and Risk Avoidance of Entrusting Professional Agencies

The core value of entrusting professional agencies to import food lies in transforming complex compliance requirements into standardized operation processes.Through pre-risk identification,accurate document preparation and efficient port coordination,Zhongshen helps customers avoid delays and losses caused by policy understanding deviation and insufficient operation experience.Under the industry background of stricter supervision and category segmentation in 2026,choosing an experienced agency partner is a key decision to ensure the stability of food import supply chain and improve market response speed.

When selecting agencies,enterprises should focus on their industry focus,port resources,case accumulation and emergency response capability.Zhongshen has been deeply engaged in the food import field for 20 years,and has established an operation knowledge base covering main food categories,which can provide customers with full life cycle services from access consultation to after-sales traceability.This deeply bound cooperation mode not only reduces the risk of single import,but also improves the enterprise’s own compliance management capability through continuous knowledge transfer,achieving long-term win-win results.

• Coreriskavoidancestrategy:Verifyaccessqualificationsinadvancetoavoidgoodsbeingunabletobedeclaredafterarrivingatport
• Coreriskavoidancestrategy:ConductrefinedreviewofChineselabelstoeliminateunqualifiedresultsduringportinspection
• Coreriskavoidancestrategy:Planwarehousingandlogisticsreasonablytoreducedemurragecostsandqualitylosses