Three Core Processes and Compliance Key Points for Food Import in Fangchenggang

In the first quarter of 2026,Mr.Su,head of a trading company in Fangchenggang,frowned at 3 tons of backlogged frozen durian from Southeast Asia stored in the warehouse.The shipment was held up at the port for 5 days due to non-standard filling of the "planting area code" on the certificate of origin,a detail Mr.Su had never been exposed to before.As a core node of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor,Fangchenggang’s food import value reached 2.37 billion yuan from January to June 2026,with frozen fruits from Southeast Asia and dairy products from Australia accounting for over 60%.However,issues such as origin quarantine and label compliance for these products during import have caused losses for many local traders.

Zhongshen has been engaged in foreign trade agency for over 20 years.In response to the characteristics of food import in Fangchenggang,it has established a full-chain service system of "origin pre-audit - fast port customs clearance - local follow-up tracking",focusing on solving three major pain points: document errors and omissions,quarantine non-compliance,and logistics connection gaps.

1.Document Pre-audit: Strictly Control the Pre-compliance Checkpoint

Since 2026,ASEAN countries have added two requirements for export documents of frozen fruits: orchard registration number and cold chain transportation temperature record.Dairy products from Australia require a lactoferrin content test report.Mr.Su’s previous problem arose because he ignored the requirement that the orchard registration number on ASEAN documents must be consistent with the registration database of the General Administration of Customs.

Zhongshen’s practice: Before the customer signs the procurement contract,we coordinate with foreign suppliers in advance to review the following core documents:

• Certificateoforigin(mustmatchtheASEANFruitRegistrationListoftheGeneralAdministrationofCustoms)
• Healthcertificate(mustbeissuedbytheofficialquarantineagencyoftheorigin,withavalidityperiodofnomorethan30days)
• Labelsample(mustcomplywiththeGeneralStandardfortheLabelingofPrepackagedFoodsofChina,andChineselabelsmustcover12itemsincludingnutritionalcomponentsandshelflife)

In October 2025,Ms.Zhong,an importer in Fangchenggang,had her shipment returned due to the lack of allergen warning on the label,suffering a loss of nearly 100,000 yuan.After Zhongshen took over the business,we reviewed the label samples of her Australian cheese 30 days in advance,added the "contains milk allergen" mark,and coordinated with domestic label printing factories to complete compliant production.The subsequent import passed commodity inspection with zero delay.

2.Port Customs Declaration: Focus on Fast Customs Clearance and Quarantine Coordination

Fangchenggang Port launched the Smart Quarantine System in 2026,requiring imported food to submit data such as cold chain temperature track and container seal number 48 hours before arrival,otherwise fast customs clearance cannot be initiated.In addition,frozen fruits from Southeast Asia need to complete nucleic acid testing for pests at the port,and dairy products from Australia require verification of importer registration qualification.

Zhongshen’s assistance:

• CompleteSingleWindowdeclaration48hoursinadvance,anduploadcoldchaintrackdatasimultaneously(coordinatewithforeigncoldchaincompaniestoobtainreal-timetemperaturerecords)
• Fornucleicacidtestingrequirements,contacttheportquarantinelaboratoryinadvancetoarrange"immediateinspectionuponarrival"service,shorteningthetestingcyclefrom72hoursto24hours
• Assistcustomerstocompleteimportedfoodconsigneeregistration(2026regulationsrequireregistrationinformationtobeupdatedquarterly)

In March 2026,Ms.Pang’s Australian milk powder arrived at the port.Zhongshen updated her consignee registration information in advance and uploaded all required data before arrival.The customs declaration and quarantine release were completed in 12 hours,3 days faster than the regular process,avoiding the shortening of the milk powder’s shelf life caused by port detention.

3.Commodity Inspection and Follow-up: Ensure Full-process Compliance Implementation

Fangchenggang Commodity Inspection Bureau implemented dual supervision of "local random inspection + traceability system" for imported food in 2026: the proportion of local random inspection increased from 10% to 15%,and each batch of products is required to be linked with a traceability code,which supports query of the whole process of origin,transportation and quarantine.

Zhongshen’s practice:

• Assistcustomerstocompletetraceabilitycodeapplication(connecttothetraceabilityplatformofChina’sStateAdministrationforMarketRegulation,anduploadtheuniquecodeofeachboxofproducts)
• Duringlocalrandominspection,arrangespecialpersonneltocoordinatewithcommodityinspectionpersonnelandprovidesupplementarymaterialssuchastestreportsandtransportationrecordstoensurethattherandominspectioncycledoesnotexceed48hours
• Forunqualifiedproducts,assistcustomerstohandlereturnordestructionprocedurestoavoidadditionalportdetentionfees

In May 2026,Manager Jin of a newly established food trading company in Fangchenggang imported frozen shrimp from Vietnam for the first time.He did not ask the supplier to provide the test report in advance because he was unaware of the enrofloxacin testing requirement.Zhongshen found the problem during document pre-audit,immediately contacted the Vietnamese supplier,coordinated with the local laboratory for expedited testing,and obtained the qualified report within 3 days,avoiding losses caused by failure to clear customs after the goods arrived at the port.Manager Jin later calculated that Zhongshen’s early intervention helped him save nearly 20,000 yuan in port detention fees and testing fees.

In 2026,the competition in Fangchenggang’s food import market has long shifted from price competition to compliance and efficiency competition.With over 20 years of industry experience,Zhongshen has established standardized service processes for links including document pre-audit,port customs clearance,and post-commodity inspection in response to the supervision characteristics of Fangchenggang Port.It not only helps customers avoid common risks such as document errors and omissions and quarantine non-compliance,but also shortens the average import cycle from 15 days to 8 days.For food traders in Fangchenggang,choosing a professional import agency means choosing a worry-free,cost-effective and time-saving import solution.