I.Analysis of the current situation and opportunities of Italian imported biscuit trade

In recent years,China’s import food market has continued to expand.According to data from the General Administration of Customs,in the first 10 months of 2023,China’s food imports increased by 8.7% year-on-year,with the import volume of baked goods (including cookies) rising by 12.3%.As a European food industry powerhouse,Italy’s cookies have gained significant recognition in the Chinese consumer market due to their handmade craftsmanship,natural ingredients (such as Sicilian pistachios and Tuscan olive oil),and strict quality control (meeting EU CE certification and Italy’s D.M.179/2004 food regulations).

In the current international trade environment,Normalized operations (such as the Chengdu-Milan route),some food tariff concessions under the RCEP framework (subject to compliance with the rules of origin cumulation),andThe improvement of the retail import policy (with a single transaction limit of 5,000 yuan) has provided multiple conveniences for the import of Italian biscuits.However,at the same time,the EU’s requirements for health certificates for food exports and China’s compliance requirements for the registration of foreign production enterprises of imported food (FASFC filing) also pose challenges to the import of Italian biscuits.This poses a greater challenge to the professionalism of translation.

II.Core Services of the Italian Imported Cookie Agency: A Two-Pronged Approach to Documentation and Logistics

(I) Document Processing: The “Invisible Moat” of End-to-End Compliance

Output:

The document system for imported cookies is the core basis for customs clearance and market access.With 20 years of experienceexperience,established a standardized document review-translation-filing process,covering the following key documents:

• BasicTradeDocuments:Businessinvoice(whichmustspecifythetransactionmodeCIF/FOBandtheorigin),packinglist(listingthenet/grossweightofeachboxandthespecifications),billoflading(isMBL/HBL,isAWB);
• Officialcompliancedocuments:TheexporthealthcertificateissuedbytheItalianhealthdepartment(whichmuststatethat"theproductcomplieswiththeEUfoodhygieneregulations(EC852/2004)andissuitableforhumanconsumption")(GeneralCertificateofOriginorFORMEunderChina-EUpreferentialtradeagreement,eligiblefortariffreduction);
• Technicalinspectiondocument:Ingredientanalysisreport(specifyingthetypesandcontentofadditives,incompliancewiththeChineseGB2760standard),microbiologicaltestingreport(withindicatorssuchastotalcolonycountandE.colimeetingthestandards),andallergendeclaration(clearlylabelingiftheproductcontainsnutsordairyproducts).

It is worth noting that starting from 2024,China’s customs will strengthen the verification of import food labels,requiring Chinese labels to include 11 elements such as "domestic agent’s name/address" and "production date/shelf life".Zhong Shen can assist clients in reviewing label samples,but the production and filing of labels must be completed by clients themselves through third-party agencies.

(II) Logistics Management: Full-Link Optimization from "Door-to-Port" to "Port-to-Door"

Output:

Given the characteristics of biscuits—they are prone to moisture,easily breakable,and have a short shelf life (usually 12-18 months)—the logistics solution needs to precisely match the transportation method and time-efficiency control:

• SelectionofTransportationMode:Forsmallbatches(≤2000kg),airfreightisrecommended(Milan-Shanghai/Guangzhou,withatransittimeof4-7days),toavoidcargodamagecausedbylong-termseavoyages;forlargebatches(≥20TEUs),theMediterranean-FarEastroute(e.g.MSC,CMACGM)ispreferred,withasailingtimeofapproximately35-40days.Itisnecessarytocloselymonitorthecontainer’stemperaturecontrol(recommendedsetting:20-25°C)andmoistureproofmeasures(placingdesiccants).
• CustomsClearanceatthePortofDestination:Relyingonthelong-termcollaborationbetweenZhongShenandthecustomsauthoritiesofmajorportssuchasShanghai,Guangzhou,andQingdao,wecanquicklycompleteHScodeclassification(biscuitsareusuallyclassifiedas1905.3100or1905.3200,withamost-favored-nationtariffrateof15%andavalue-addedtaxrateof13%),taxcalculation(CIFprice×(1+tariffrate)×value-addedtaxrate),andinspectionresponse(e.g.ifthecustomsconductsspotchecks,wewillrespondwithin2hourstoprovidesupplementarymaterials).
• Last-miledelivery:Incooperationwithhigh-qualityserviceproviderssuchasJDLogisticsandSinotrans,weprovidedoor-to-doorservicesfrom"port-warehouse-supermarket/e-commercewarehouse",supportingunboxingandsorting(bySKUclassification),traytransportation(toreducehandlinglosses),andcoldchainconnection(forexample,cookiescontainingchocolateingredientsneedtobestoredat2-8°C).

III.Extension of re-export business to Russia: VTBUnique advantages

Some customers import Italian biscuits through Russia (e.g.to circumvent specific trade barriers).Zhong Shen relies on its in-depth cooperation with VTB Bank to provide efficient foreign exchange settlement services.

• Settlementstability:VTB,asasystemicallyimportantbankinRussia,hasestablishedanindependentclearingchanneloutsidetheSWIFTsystem,whichcanavoidtheriskofpaymentinterruptionscausedbyinternationalsituations.
• Exchangerateoptimization:SupportthetripartiteexchangeratelockingofRMB,ruble,andeuro,lockingincoststhroughspot/forwardforeignexchangecontracts,andreducingexchangeratelossesbyanaverageof3-5%;
• DocumentSimplification:VTBrecognizesthetradebackgroundmaterialsprovidedbyZhongShen(suchasagencyagreementsandlogisticstrackingdocuments),whichcanshortenthereviewprocess.Thetimerequiredforreviewingtheletterofcredit(L/C)isupto3workingdays(theindustryaverageis5-7days).

IV.Customer Notice: Division of Certification Responsibilities and Risk Warning

Zhong Shen strictly adheres to the business boundary of "not providing product certification services",but we need to particularly remind clients to prepare the following certification matters in advance:

• Registrationofoverseasproductionenterprises:ItalianbiscuitmanufacturersneedtoregisterwiththeGeneralAdministrationofCustomsofChina(FASFC)(theregistrationstatuscanbecheckedonthe"Internet+Customs"platform).Productsfromunregisteredenterpriseswillbereturnedtothesender.
• Specialcertifications:Ifthebiscuitscontainhalalingredients(suchastheuseofhalalbutter),aHALALcertification(issuedbyauthoritativeinstitutionssuchasJAKIMinMalaysiaorMUIinIndonesia)isrequired.Forbiscuitscontainingalcoholicingredients(suchasItalianPanettone),anadditionalalcoholimportlicenseisnecessary.
• DomesticSalesQualification:Imortersmustholdafoodbusinesslicense(coveringthescopeof"prepackagedfoodsales"),andiftheysellproductsthroughe-commerceplatforms,theymustalsocompleteproductinformationregistration(suchasonTmallGlobal’s"ImportedFoodRegistrationSystem").

Zhong Shen can provide a template for the certification list and recommendations for third-party institutions (such as SGS and Huace Inspection),but the specific application and fees must be borne by the client themselves.

V.Full-process agency service: closed-loop management from consultation to feedback

Based on the characteristics of Italian biscuit imports,Zhong Shen refines the agency process into nine key stages to ensure that every step is controllable.

• CustomerInquiry:Collectproductinformation(ingredients,specifications,shelflife),importvolume(monthly/annual),andtargetmarkets(supermarkets/e-commerce/wholesale)throughquestionnaires,andevaluatethefeasibilityoftheservice.
• NegotiationandContractSigning:Definethescopeofservices(whetheritincludesadvancepaymentofgoodsandwarehousing),thefeestructure(agencyfeesarechargedat1-3%ofthevalueofthegoods,andlogistics/taxfeesarereimbursedaccordingtoactualexpenses),andreviewthe"risktransferclauses"inthecontract(forexample,underCIF,theriskofthegoodstransferstothebuyeraftertheyareloadedontotheshipattheportofloading);
• Orders&Payment:AssistclientsinsigningPIs(ProformaInvoices)withItaliansuppliers,andarrangepaymentsaccordingtotradeterms(suchasFOBMilan)(T/T30%prepayment+70%uponreceiptofthebillofladingcopy,orL/Catsight);
• ProductionSupervision:Ifrequestedbytheclient,wecanentrustalocalthird-partyinspectionagencyinItaly(suchasBureauVeritas)tosupervisetheloadingprocess,verifythebatchofrawmaterials(e.g.whetherthewheatcomesfromnon-GMOproductionareas),andensurepackagingcompliance(whetheritmeetsChina’sregulationsonprohibitedandrestrictedsubstances).
• LogisticsManagement:Developalogisticsschedule,submitcustomsdeclarations15daysinadvance(throughtheSingleWindowSystem),coordinatewithshippingcompaniestoreserveshippingspace,andmonitorin-transitgoods(usingGPSandtemperature/humiditysensors);
• CustomsCompliance:Aftercompletingtheinspectiondeclaration(enteringtheCIQsystem),customsdeclaration(submittingelectronicaccompanyingdocuments),andtaxpayment(throughthenewgenerationelectronicpaymentsystem),thegoodsareusuallyreleasedwithinthreeworkingdays.
• DeliveryandDistribution:Accordingtotheclient’srequirements,wewilldeliverthegoodstothedesignatedwarehouse(supportingpre-warehousequalityinspection,witharandomsamplingdamagerateof≤0.5%),andprovidedeliveryreceiptsandlogisticstrackingreports.
• QualityAssurance:Assistclientsinhandlingcustomssamplinginspections(iftheinspectionresultsareunsatisfactory,clientscanapplyforareinspectionorprovidearectificationplan),andcoordinatewithsuppliersonreturnsandreplacements(whichmustbeinitiatedwithinsixmonthsoftheproduct’sexpirationdate).
• SummaryandFeedback:Outputan"ImportFull-ProcessAnalysisReport",whichincludestimenodes,costdetails,anddocumentarchiving(storedforthreeyearsforfuturereference),toassistclientsinoptimizingtheirnextimportplans.

Conclusion: Choosing a professional agent makes it easier to import Italian biscuits

The import of Italian biscuits involves multidimensional challenges in trade,law,and logistics.The value of professional agents lies not only in "handling procedures" but also in reducing hidden costs (such as port detention fees and inspection delays) through accumulated experience and avoiding compliance risks (such as being penalized for non-compliant labels).With 20 years of foreign trade experience,Zhong Shen International Trade focuses on two core capabilities - documentation and logistics - to provide clients with "safe,efficient,and traceable" agency services,helping high-quality Italian biscuits quickly enter the Chinese market.