In order to ensure the quality and safety of imported food products and to regulate the administration of such products, china has implemented a multi-tiered supervision system with regard to imported food products.

Imported food products include: food, food additives, food containers, packaging materials, food utensils and equipment to be imported, or food generally known as "imported food products".

The relevant laws an regulations include: Food Safety Law of the PRC , Import and Export Animal and Plant Quarantine Law, Import and Export Commodity Inspection Law, Administration of Registration of Foreign Production Enterprises of Imported Food, Imported food importers and exporters filing regulations, Measures for the Administration of Health Food, Measures for the administration of import and export food labels, etc.

First of all , If the Foreign food Manufacturer?ˉs products are first time import to china, there are many pre-approval procedure must be conducted first, this step is often overlooked, causing a lot of problems.

If you do not have such pre-approval registration/filing numbers, licenses or certificates issued by china relevant authorities , even these products already in the china port, they are not allowed to enter the country and will be returned to the consignor.

And these pre-approval process usually need several weeks, months, even years to Complete, your products are impossible stay in the customs supervision warehouse for so long.

If have a bad record in customs & CIQ system, will have more negative influent on the future of imports.

I: These Preparation before Initial Import mainly include:

1.         AQSIQ filing: All Foreign Food facility and exporter/agent need AQSIQ Filing, and need appoint a china local company as its china representative agent (CRA)/ or trade partner. After the AQSIQ filing process, each of Foreign Food Facility/Exporter/Agent will get a filing number, and the list of exporters /agents which have completed filing will be published on the AQSIQ website. In each import process, need fill this filing number in customs declaration and CIQ inspection application forms.

2.         CNCA registration: all Meat, Aquatic, Dairy Products Foreign Food manufacturing enterprise need apply CNCA registration. Such Food products of foreign production enterprises not registered are banned from importation.

3.         CFDA registration: For functional heath food, nutritional supplements, Foods for special medical purpose , need apply CFDA registration, such products without CFDA certificate are banned from importation.

4.         MOA certification: For GMO-(Genetically modified organisms) food, need apply MOA GMO products safety certification and labing,  For animal feed product (Such as Dog,Cat,Pet foods), need apply imported feed register, such products without CFDA certificate and labing are banned from importation.

5.         Pre-packaged foods Chinese Label CIQ approval: Imported pre-packaged foods must come with Chinese labelling, the content of which should comply with the China National Standards(GB7718-2004, GB10344-2005, GB13432-2004 etc.) and regulations about relevant products Labling, only after pass the CIQ inspection, get the chinese label filing number, then can be Affixed on the packaging of foods

6.         Imported Food Products initial testing: the product quality of imported foods must comply with the China food safety National Standards and relevant Sanitary & quality regulations, so the Food Products initial testing is necessary, usually all china distributors, supermarkets, food shops, etc, need keep such imported food testing report, backup for the CFDA market supervision.

And, if you not conduct such initial testing in advance, when the china port CIQ find out that your products are not complied with the China food safety regulations in the Food Sanitary inspection process, then all products will be returned to consignor or destroyed. You will occur big loss.

II. The follow are the Foreign Food Imported to China main Procedure & Quotation:

Step 1. Foreign Food facility and exporter registration/Filing:

Step 2. Imported Food Initial Test and CFDA registration:

1. For normal Imported Food Initial Test:

Note: the above are only the Common food categories, if your products are not in them, enquire us for detail offer.

2. Health food, nutritional supplements, Foods for special medical purpose CFDA registration:

3. Other Special imported food products pre-approval service

Step 3. Prepackaged Food Chinese Label Approval and filing :

Step 4.  CIQ Food Sanitary inspection & Customs Clearance:

(This step usually is the Domestic importer?ˉs duty, not the Foreign Food Exporter liability, but if need us do such job as customs broker, the follow are our service items and fee )

Abbreviation of Supervisory department￡o

l          CIQ-China Entry-exit Inspection & Quarantine Bureau

l          CFDA-China Food and Drug Administration

l          CNCA-Certification & Accreditation Administration of China

l          MOA-Ministry of Agriculture

l          MOFCOM-Ministry of Commerce

l          AQSIQ-Administration of Quality Supervision,Inspection and Quarantine

III. For Foreign Food manufacturing enterprise CNCA registration, CFDA registration, CIQ filing, CIQ commodity inspection & quarantine, Customs declaration and inspection procedure, the follow documents should be collected and submitted to the relative administration department:

1.         Relevant Register/Filing Application form

2.         Entry goods customs declaration form

3.         Entry goods CIQ inspection form.

4.         Authorization letter (for CFDA registration ,CIQ Inspection, Customs declaration, etc.)

5.         Foreign Food Facility/Exporter and China Importer/ Consignee CIQ register/filing number.

6.         China Importer/Consignee Food business license or Function health Food business license.

7.         FSC-Free Sale Certificate

8.         Product quality test report (issued by china relevant official Lab.)

9.         Original and Chinese packaging label sample, and CIQ approval filing number.

10.     Food raw materials and ingredients list

11.     Food package/contact materials quality specifications.

12.     Relevant Quality Warranty letter

13.     Official Qualification management certification for Food manufacturing enterprise (Food GMP or HACCP, etc.), and relevant official authority on-site audit reports (Meat, Aquatic, Dairy Food only).

14.     Product quality control standards

15.     Pre-approved License Documents (Such as Import license, CFDA certificate, CNCA registration license, MOA Transgenic food license, etc.)

16.     Contract

17.     Commercial invoice

18.     Bill of landing

19.     Deliver order

20.     Packing list

21.     Insurance poliy

22.     Certificate of origin

23.     GSP certificate of origin

24.     Sanitary/Health certificate

25.     Veterinary certificate

26.     Animal/plant quarantine certificate

Etc?-?-?-?-?-?-.

Note:

1) Different administration department need Different documents, we will give you the each detail list for each administration department.

2) Each document have compulsory requirements of contents and format , we can provide the reference template samples.   

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