French biscuits under the new opportunities of Sino-French food tradePractice

In recent years,withThe normalization of operations and the deepening of trade facilitation under the RCEP framework have led to the continuous expansion of China’s imported food market.French biscuits,with their exquisite craftsmanship and unique flavors,have become a popular category of imported baked goods.According to data from the General Administration of Customs in 2023,the export value of French baked goods to China increased by 18% year-on-year.The surge in import demand has placed higher demands on the professionalism of agency services.As a senior consultant with 20 years of experience in theAs a service provider with 20 years of experience,we rely on three core capabilities—document processing,logistics coordination,and trade compliance—to provide enterprises with a full-chain solution from order placement to delivery.

The core of import agency lies in the "meticulousness" and "strictness" in document processing.

The compliance of documents for French cookie imports is the key to successful customs clearance,and it must strictly meet the requirements of Chinese customs and inspection and quarantine authorities.In the agency service,the document processing needs to focus on the following three types of documents:

• BasicCommercialDocumentsIncludingthecommercialinvoiceprovidedbytheexporter(whichmustlistthedescriptionofthegoods,unitprice,totalamount,andtradeterms,suchasCIFShanghai),thepackinglist(whichindicatesthegrossweight,netweight,volume,andpackagingspecifications),andthebilloflading.forB/L,(ForAWB).Theagentneedstoverifythattheinvoiceandcontractamountsareconsistenttoavoidcustomsinquiriesduetodiscrepanciesinthedeclaredvalueofthegoods.
• OfficialQualificationDocumentsItisnecessarytoprovideasanitarycertificateissuedbytheFrenchauthorities,certifyingthattheproductscomplywiththeEUFoodHygieneRegulation(EC852/2004)andChina’sGB14881-2013"GeneralHygieneStandardsforFoodProduction".Iftheproductsinvolvegeographicalindications(suchasBretonbuttercookies),additionalcertificationoforiginprotection(AOC/AOP)isrequired.
• TechnicalComplianceDocumentIngredientanalysisreport(whichmustlistthetypesandcontentsofadditivesandcomplywiththeChinaGB2760-2014standard),nutritionalinformationtable(whichmustcomplywiththeGB28050-2011GeneralGuidelinesforNutritionLabelingofPrepackagedFoods),andcompliancedeclarationforfoodcontactmaterials(EC1935/2004).TheagentmustverifyinadvancewhethertheadditivesareonthelistofpermittedusesinChina.Forexample,themaximumpermitteduseoflemonyellow(E102)inChinais0.1g/kg,andexceedingthisamountwillresultintheproductsbeingreturned.

Special note: Certifications such as the registration of overseas food producers (Customs General Administration Decree No.141) and the filing of Chinese labels require importers to handle them themselves or entrust third-party agencies to do so.Our company can provide document review assistance but will not handle these matters directly on behalf of importers.

Logistics Management: Full-chain control from the port of departure to the port of destination

Most French biscuits are general cargo (not requiring cold chain),but some products containing cream and chocolate require controlled transportation temperatures (recommended below 20℃).Logistics solutions for these products need to be designed differently.

• SelectionofTransportationMode:Forsmallbatches(≤2,000kg),airfreight(Paris-Shanghai,withatransittimeof4-6days)canbeusedtoreduceinventoryturnoverpressure.Forlargebatches(≥5,000kg),itispreferabletochoosefullcontainerload(FCL)seafreight.ThegoodswilldepartfromMarseille/LeHavreports,passthroughtheMediterraneanSea-SuezCanalroute,andarriveatYangshanPortinShanghai,withavoyagedurationofapproximately35days.Thecostofseafreightismorethan60%lowerthanthatofairfreight.
• TransitandRiskControlForoceanfreight,attentionshouldbepaidtothedemurragechargesatthedestinationport(aboutUSD50/day/20GP)andstoragefees(aboutRMB80/day/container).Theagentwillcoordinatewiththeshippingcompanyinadvancetoapplyfora14-daydemurrageexemptionperiod.Forairfreight,itisnecessarytomonitortheflightstatustoavoiddelayscausedbyweatheroraviationcontrol,whichmayaffecttheefficiencyofcustomsclearance.
• Customsclearancecoordinationattheportofdestination3daysbeforearrivalattheport,completethepre-declarationofcustomsdeclarationandsimultaneouslysubmittheaccompanyingdocuments(suchasautomaticimportlicenses,HScodes1905.3100/1905.3200donotrequirequotas);duringcustomsinspection,theagentneedstocooperateon-sitetoopentheboxesandcheckthegoodsagainstthedeclaredinformation(suchasspecifications,brands,productiondates),ensuringthatthelabelsareaffixedinaccordancewiththerequirementsof"theaffixingpositionisobviousandtheinformationisclear".

Expansion of business with Russia: VTBAdvantages to Support Cross-Border Payments

It’s worth noting that some importers distribute French biscuits through Russia or cooperate with Russian companies for distribution.In this case,the efficiency of foreign exchange settlement becomes crucial.Zhong Shen International Trade Co.Ltd.and RussiaThe bank (VTB) has established a long-term cooperation and offers three major advantages in foreign exchange settlement:

• ExchangeRateLock-inSupportT+0spotforeignexchangesettlementand3-monthforwardlock-inforeignexchangesettlementtoavoidtheriskofruble/euroexchangeratefluctuations;
• ArrivaltimeThroughdirectconnectiontotheSWIFTsystem,cross-borderpaymentsbetweentheeuroandtheRMBcanbecreditedwithin24hours(whiletraditionalagentstypicallytake3-5days).
• ComplianceAssuranceAsastate-ownedbankoftheRussianFederation,VTBstrictlycomplieswiththeOFACandEUsanctionscompliancerequirements,reducingtheriskofcross-borderpaymentsbeingfrozen.

Full-process agency services: controlling the 9 key stages from order placement to delivery

Based on the characteristics of French cookie imports,the agency service can be broken down into the following key stages:

• NeedsAssessmentDeterminetheproducttype(crispy/chewybiscuits),specifications(smallpackaging/giftbox),andimportvolume(trialorder/regularpurchase),andassesswhetheranimportanimalandplantquarantinelicenseisrequired(ifcontainingdairyproducts,suchalicensemustbeprovided).
• ContractReview:Thekeypointstobeverifiedincludetradeterms(itisrecommendedtouseCIForDAP,andclarifythedivisionoffreight/insuranceresponsibilities),qualityclauses(agreeonsensoryindicators:crispness≥80%,moisture≤5%),anddisputeresolution(selecttheChinaInternationalEconomicandTradeArbitrationCommission).
• PaymentArrangementForsmallorders,a30%prepaymentviaT/Tisrequired(tobepaidinfullbeforeshipment),whilelargeorderscanbeissuedwithanirrevocableletterofcredit.(LetterofCreditatsight),theagentassistsinreviewingthesoftclausesoftheletterofcredit(suchas"theexporterisrequiredtoprovideathird-partyinspectionreport").
• Productionmonitoringandpacking:SendQCtotheFrenchfactoryforspotchecks(withasamplingratioof≥5%),verifythebatchofrawmaterials(e.g.wheatflourmustbenon-GMO),inspecttheproductionenvironment(withacleanlinesslevelof≥100,000),andtestthepackagingforsealing(droptest:nodamageafterafreefallfromaheightof1.5meters).
• ClearcustomsandpaytaxesCalculatethecomprehensivetaxrate(15%tariffand13%value-addedtax,assumingpreferentialtreatmentasamost-favored-nation),andafterpayingthetaxes,obtainthecustomspaymentreceipt,whichcanbeusedasaproofforinputtaxdeduction;
• Delivery&After-Sales:Beforethegoodsarestored,afullinspection(sensoryandmicrobiologicalindicators:totalcolonycount≤10000CFU/g)isconducted.Forunqualifiedproducts,thereturn/destructionprocessisinitiated.Weprovidea12-monthdocumentarchivingserviceandcooperatewithcustomsinsubsequentinspections.

Risk Alerts and Countermeasures in the Context of International Trade

Currently,the European Union is strengthening the traceability supervision of exported food products (traceability requirements in EC 178/2002),requiring French biscuit manufacturers to provide full-chain traceability documents covering "raw materials - processing - packaging".Agents will assist importers in reviewing the completeness of traceability information.Meanwhile,Chinese customs is implementing "double random" inspections on imported food products (with the inspection rate increased to 8% in 2023).It is recommended that enterprises conduct pre-audits of their labels in advance (submitted via the "Internet + Customs" platform) to avoid delays in inspection due to non-compliant labels.

Conclusion: The core of French biscuit import agency lies in avoiding customs clearance risks through professional document processing,reducing costs through meticulous logistics coordination,and ensuring business sustainability through trade compliance management.With 20 years of industry experience,Zhong Shen International Trade Co.Ltd.has served over 200 food import enterprises and handled a total import value of French biscuits exceeding 300 million yuan.We are your trustworthy full-chain agency partner.