Current Situation and Operation Difficulties of Southeast Asian Food Import Market

2026 marks the third year of the full implementation of the RCEP agreement,and tariff reduction arrangements have covered more than 90% of food categories.The annual import volume of Thai durian,Vietnamese coffee,Malaysian biscuits and other commodities has increased by more than 35%,and the maximum daily declaration volume at Shanghai Port has exceeded 200 batches.Behind this rapid growth,enterprises are facing increasingly refined regulatory requirements.Taking tropical fruits as an example,the 2026 edition of the List of Quarantine Pests for Imported Plants issued by the General Administration of Customs added 17 high-risk pests in Southeast Asia,and the corresponding inspection ratio increased from 15% to 28%.

The trading company where Manager Yu works encountered a typical problem at the beginning of this year: a batch of Musang King durians shipped from Laem Chabang Port,Thailand,was required to be returned and re-declared by the port because the consignee address on the phytosanitary certificate was inconsistent with the customs declaration form.The 3-day detention in the port led to a 4% increase in the loss rate.Such problems reflect three core difficulties in current imported food operations: increasingly strict requirements for logical consistency of documents,frequent dynamic adjustment of on-site inspection standards,and differences in implementation scales between different ports.Zhongshen found in processing nearly 1,000 batches of food import business that about 60% of delay risks are concentrated in the two links of document pre-examination and commodity inspection.

Core Role of Zhongshen in the Food Import Chain

Zhongshen is not positioned as a simple customs broker,but a risk controller covering the front,middle and rear ends of the supply chain.At the front end of the business,the team will intervene in the design of trade contract terms in advance.For example,it is recommended that customers agree that the health certificate shall be issued within three working days after shipment when purchasing Southeast Asian snack foods,so as to avoid affecting the declaration upon arrival due to certificate delay.At the mid-end operation level,the system will automatically compare historical inspection data and start an early warning mechanism for high-risk batches.In the first quarter of 2026,this mechanism successfully intercepted 3 batches of Vietnamese coffee with unqualified labels,avoiding the risk of subsequent full container return.

The back-end service extends to traceability management after warehousing.Zhongshen establishes food import files for each customer,recording the inspection records of each batch of goods,laboratory test results,key points of inquiry by port officials and other information.These data can quickly form a reference model when customers expand their import categories later.When General Manager Jia’s company increased the import of Philippine banana chips,it retrieved the previous inspection files of mango chips and adjusted the packaging labels in advance,shortening the inspection time by two days.

Compliance Points and Operation Practice in Document Pre-examination Stage

Core Document System and Logical Verification

Food import documents are not a simple pile of documents,but need to form a complete evidence chain.Taking Thai durian as an example,it must include: Certificate of Origin (Form E),Phytosanitary Certificate,packing list,invoice,bill of lading,Entry Animal and Plant Quarantine Permit.Zhongshen’s operation specification requires that the consignor and consignee information,goods description and weight values on these documents must be consistent across four parties.The intelligent document review system newly launched by the customs in 2026 will automatically transfer the declaration forms with numerical differences exceeding 3% to manual verification,extending the processing cycle by at least two working days.

Processed foods such as Vietnamese coffee also need to provide additional component test reports and production process descriptions.Zhongshen once handled a case: the imported Vietnamese civet coffee was questioned by the customs for biosecurity risks because the production process description did not clearly indicate that "coffee beans need to be baked at above 180℃ after fermentation through the civet’s digestive tract",and the customer was required to supplement the official overseas explanation.This detail led to the goods being detained for a week,with a final loss of more than 80,000 yuan.

Pre-handling of Special Documents

Some foods require administrative licenses in advance.For importing Malaysian bird’s nest,it is necessary to apply for the Entry Animal and Plant Quarantine Permit from the General Administration of Customs before shipment,with an approval cycle of about 15 working days.Zhongshen usually recommends that customers start the application process when signing the trade contract.According to the new regulations in 2026,the registration number of overseas production enterprises in China shall also be provided when applying.This number shall be filed in advance in the registration system of overseas food production enterprises of the General Administration of Customs,and the whole process takes about 30 days.

Classification and Price Review Strategy in Port Customs Declaration Link

HS code classification directly affects tariff rates and regulatory conditions.Fresh Thai durian is classified under 08045030,with a tariff rate of 15% (reduced to 9% under the 2026 RCEP preferential rate); while frozen durian pulp is classified under 08119090,with a tariff rate of 20%.When reviewing customer data,Zhongshen found that some suppliers deliberately declared frozen pulp as fresh fruit to reduce tariffs,and 17 such acts have been filed and investigated in the special customs inspection in 2026.

The risk in the price review link cannot be ignored either.If the declared price of Vietnamese coffee is more than 15% lower than the contemporaneous reference price held by the customs,the system will automatically trigger a price query.Zhongshen’s operation is to prepare pricing basis in advance,including sales contracts of overseas manufacturers,transaction prices of similar products in third countries,international coffee futures price trends,etc.A batch of Vietnamese Robusta coffee beans imported by Manager Qin’s company last year completed the consultation in only one day in the price query link because of the complete pricing explanation materials provided,avoiding the occupation of margin.

Category Specific Requirements in Commodity Inspection Stage

The inspection focuses of different foods vary significantly.Zhongshen sorted out the inspection points of main Southeast Asian foods according to the latest regulatory trends in 2026:

During on-site inspection,Zhongshen’s on-site personnel will focus on coordinating the sampling and testing link.In 2026,the average laboratory testing cycle for Southeast Asian food at Shanghai Port is 5-7 working days,but Zhongshen can compress the time to 3 working days through reserved testing,expedited channels and other methods.When Mr.Nie’s company imported a batch of Thai coconut water,Zhongshen contacted a qualified laboratory in advance and completed the filing of the testing unit before the goods arrived at the port.Samples were taken and sent for testing on the day of inspection,and the whole batch of goods took only four days from arrival to release.

Temperature Control and Traceability in Warehouse Management and Distribution Links

The storage conditions after food import directly affect the sales quality.The warehouses supervised by Zhongshen set up zoned temperature control for different types of Southeast Asian food: frozen fruits such as durian are kept below -18℃,chocolate products are controlled at 18-20℃,and nuts require relative humidity below 60%.The Code for the Administration of Imported Food Sales Records implemented in 2026 requires enterprises to keep temperature monitoring records for at least six months.Zhongshen’s system will automatically collect warehouse temperature and humidity data and generate reports that meet the requirements of customs verification.

The time limit management in the distribution link is also critical.For transportation from the port to the distribution center in Shanghai,Zhongshen requires the use of refrigerated trucks equipped with GPS and temperature recorders.Manager Hao’s company once encountered a crisis: the transport vehicle broke down on the way,and the temperature recorder showed that the compartment temperature rose to -10℃ within two hours.Zhongshen immediately launched the emergency plan,retrieved the real-time location of the vehicle,coordinated the nearest spare vehicle for transshipment,and submitted the abnormal temperature record and vehicle replacement certificate to the customs together,finally avoiding the risk of the whole batch of goods being judged as unqualified.

Connection Processing of Foreign Exchange Receipt and Payment and Tax Refund Links

Foreign exchange payment for food import needs to strictly match the customs declaration data.In 2026,the State Administration of Foreign Exchange strengthened the monitoring of abnormal foreign exchange payment,and a full set of trade background materials are required for payment of more than 500,000 US dollars per transaction.When assisting customers in handling foreign exchange payment,Zhongshen will simultaneously prepare scanned copies of customs declaration forms,contracts,invoices and transport documents,and submit them through the bank’s electronic document system to ensure that the foreign exchange payment is completed within 15 working days after the customs declaration form is released.

In terms of export tax refund,although food import does not involve tax refund,some customers served by Zhongshen have processing with imported materials for re-export business.In such business,the value of imported raw materials needs to be accurately calculated at the time of export.Zhongshen’s financial team will establish an imported raw material ledger for customers,record the dutiable value,exchange rate and tariff amount of each batch of goods,and automatically calculate the refundable tax amount at the time of export declaration.In the first half of 2026,General Manager Jia’s company accurately declared 12 batches of re-export business through this method,with a tax refund amount of 470,000 yuan,all of which passed the review of the tax authority.

Practical Case: Combined Durian and Coffee Import Scheme of Manager Yu’s Company

Manager Yu’s company is mainly engaged in the sales of high-end fruits and coffee,and plans to expand its Southeast Asian product line in 2026.After taking over its agency business,Zhongshen first conducted a risk assessment on its historical import data.It was found that the company had been administratively punished once for packaging label problems in the previous import of Thai durian,and its credit rating was reduced to a general credit enterprise.This means that the inspection rate will increase from about 5% to about 20%.

In response to this situation,Zhongshen formulated a phased rectification plan: the first stage is to achieve zero errors in the subsequent three batches of import business,focusing on the consistency of documents and the standardization of packaging labels; the second stage is to assist the enterprise to apply for credit restoration from the customs,and submit rectification reports and internal control system documents; the third stage is to start the import business of Vietnamese coffee after the credit rating is restored,and enjoy fast customs clearance treatment by taking advantage of the credit advantage.

In the specific operation,Zhongshen established a special document checklist for Manager Yu’s company,listing 24 key check points for Thai durian and Vietnamese coffee.Three days before the arrival of the first batch of goods,the team completed the pre-examination of all documents in advance,found that the container number on the phytosanitary certificate was one digit different from the bill of lading,and contacted the Thai side for correction in time.This batch of durians finally completed customs clearance smoothly within 48 hours,with the loss rate controlled within 2%.For the subsequent import of Vietnamese coffee,because the enterprise’s credit rating has been restored,the inspection rate was reduced,and all three batches of business were released within two days.

Core Value Embodiment of Zhongshen’s Professional Agency

The value of food import agency does not lie in the simple customs declaration action,but in the prediction of risks and the integration of resources.The database accumulated by Zhongshen over 20 years covers inspection records of more than 2,000 kinds of Southeast Asian food,inquiry habits of port officials,fluctuation of laboratory testing cycles and other information.These tacit knowledge are transformed into actual benefits for customers: the average customs clearance time is 1.8 days faster than the industry average,the document error rate is less than 0.3%,and the loss caused by compliance problems for customers is reduced by 90%.

The regulatory environment in 2026 places more emphasis on the main responsibility of enterprises,and the proportion of post-customs inspection increased by 40% year-on-year.The import file system established by Zhongshen for customers can quickly retrieve all documents,communication records and rectification reports within three years when responding to inspections,ensuring that enterprises are in an active position in the inspection.When Manager Hao’s company accepted the inspection in the middle of the year,it completed all the verification work within three days with the complete files sorted out by Zhongshen,and the inspection conclusion was normal.

From the practice of Southeast Asian food import,the real significance of professional agency is to transform scattered regulatory requirements into standardized operation processes,quantify uncertain inspection risks into manageable probability events,and simplify complex document systems into implementable checklists.In this process,Zhongshen plays the role of the key node in the customer’s supply chain that turns the import link from a variable to a constant.