I.The import trade situation and market opportunities of British biscuits

In recent years,Sino-British food trade has witnessed significant growth.According to data from the General Administration of Customs,in the first half of 2023,China’s total imports of food from the UK increased by 22% year-on-year,with baked products (including cookies) accounting for 18% of the total.This was mainly driven by the upgrading of domestic consumption and the growing demand for high-quality and differentiated imported foods.As a traditional powerhouse in the food industry,British cookies are renowned for their high-quality ingredients (such as Irish butter and Cornish honey) and meticulous craftsmanship (including hand-baked and additive-free products).They are widely available in high-end supermarkets and specialty stores in China.The channel is widely favored.

It should be noted that after the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union,its trade rules with the EU will be separated.For Chinese importers,they need to pay attention to the dual-track compliance requirements of UK and Chinese customs: on the one hand,UK exports need to comply with the new "UKCA" conformity marking system; on the other hand,China implements a strict registration system for overseas food producers (which requires registration on the General Administration of Customs "1212 Platform"),and from 2024,the "imported food electronic certificate" will be fully implemented,and traditional paper certificates will be phased out gradually.These policy changes place higher demands on the professionalism of the import process.

II.Core Services: Professional Dual Drive of Documentation & Logistics

(I) Documentation Processing: Full-Chain Audit to Prevent Rejection Risks

Output:

The document system for importing British biscuits is complex,involving three categories of documents: trade,transportation,and compliance.Any omission in any of these steps may lead to customs clearance delays or goods being held up.Our professional document team can provide full-process review and preparation services,with a focus on the following documents:

• Trade-related:Commericalinvoice(whichmustspecifythetransactionmethodsuchasCIF/FOBandtheunitpricecomposition),packinglist(whichmustfullymatchthebillofladingintermsof"quantity/grossweight/volume"),andcontract(whichmustclearlystatequalityclausessuchas"moisturecontent≤8%").
• Transportation:BillofladingB/L,musthaveConfirm”CleanBillofLading”ThestatusofTradedisputesettlementmechanisms,InsurancepolicyProcessandFrequentlyAskedQuestionsforExportingMiningMachinerytoSoutheastAsia|ShanghaiImport/ExportAgentCIFterms下musthave覆蓋”O(jiān)saka→ShanghaiPort:5-7days”inthecontract);
• Compliance-related:ThehealthcertificateissuedbytheUKauthorities(whichmuststate"TheproductcomplieswiththeUKFSAfoodsafetystandards").AfterBrexit,theUKwillnolongerissueEUR.1certificates,andapplicantswillneedtoobtaina"UKCertificateofOrigin"oranindependentcertificateoforigin.Additionally,ingredienttestingreports(whichmustincludeallergeninformation)arerequired,andproductscontainingnutsordairyproductsmustbeclearlylabeledwithsuchwarnings.

We ensure that the documents are 100% consistent with the actual information of the goods and the customs supervision requirements through a three-level verification mechanism of "pre-review - review - submission".According to past data,the rejection rate of UK cookie import documents handled by us is less than 0.5%,which is 70% lower than the industry average.

(II) Logistics Service: Precise Control of Temperature & Timeliness

Output:

British biscuits often contain ingredients such as cream and chocolate that are prone to spoilage,and therefore have strict temperature control requirements during transportation.At the same time,as fast-moving consumer goods,shortening the supply chain cycle can significantly increase end-user sales profits.Relying on our global logistics network,we provide customized logistics solutions:

• Transportationmethod:Wemainlyofferfullcontainerload(FCL)shipping(whichiscost-effectiveandsuitableforlargeorders),andwecanalsoarrangeurgentshipmentsuponrequest.(e.g.London-Shanghaidirectflight,3-5days);
• RoutePlanning:Preferentiallychoosethe"UK-China"fixedroutes(suchasSouthampton-Shanghai/Shenzhen)oftopshippingcompanieslikeMaerskandCMACGMtoensurethestabilityofshippingschedules;
• TemperatureControlManagement:Forbiscuitscontainingeasilymeltableingredients,weprovide"cold-dry"transportation(i.e.usingrefrigeratedcontainersbutsettingthemtonormaltemperaturemode),withGPSmonitoringoftemperaturethroughoutthejourney.Containerswithtemperaturedeviationsexceedingthestandardwilltriggeralertsandbereplacedimmediately.
• DestinationPortCoordination:Completethepre-declarationforthe"singlewindow"threedaysinadvance,coordinatewiththeterminaltoprioritizeunloadingcontainers,andreducetheaveragecustomsclearancetimeto48hours(theindustryaverageis72hours).

III.VTB in Re-export Business to RussiaAdvantages

Some clients distribute British biscuits through Russia (for example,to the markets of the Commonwealth of Independent States),and in this case,the efficiency and security of foreign exchange settlements are of utmost importance.We have established long-term cooperation with VTB Bank (Russia’s second-largest state-owned bank),which can provide the following advantages in foreign exchange settlements:

• Multi-currencysupport:Supportmulti-currencysettlementsincludingtheBritishpound(GBP),theUSdollar(USD),andtheRussianruble(RUB),flexiblymeetingtradingneeds;
• Channelstability:VTBBankretainspartialcontroloftheSWIFTsystem,andtheprocessingtimeforsettlementinstructionshasbeenimprovedby50%comparedtothatofsmallandmedium-sizedbanks.
• ExchangeRateLock-in:Wecanassistclientsinlockinginexchangeratesthroughforwardforeignexchangecontracts,therebyavoidingtheriskoffluctuationsintheruble/poundexchangerate(forexample,theannualfluctuationofthepoundagainsttherublereached12%in2023).
• Optimizethehandlingfee:Throughtheinterbankagreement,theforeignexchangesettlementfeesarereducedby30-50BP(basispoints)comparedtothemarketaverage.

For example,a client who conducted UK-Russia re-export business through us saved about $2,000 in handling fees per order after using VTB for foreign exchange settlement,and the settlement period was shortened from 7 days to 3 days.

IV.Import Compliance Tips: Certification Key Points and Practical Customs Declaration Guidelines

It should be noted that we do not directly provide product certification services,but we can provide professional guidance to clients on key certification requirements.

• ChinaCIQInspection:Importedcookiesmustundergoon-siteinspectionbythecustoms(sensoryinspectionandlabelinspection)andlaboratorytesting(microorganismsandadditives).Onlyafterpassingtheinspectionwillthecustomsissuethe"InspectionandQuarantineCertificateforImportedGoods",andtheproductscanthenbeputonthemarket.
• UKFSAcertification:UKmanufacturingcompaniesmustholda"FoodBusinessLicense"issuedbytheFSA(FoodStandardsAgency),andtheyneedtoverifytheirregistrationstatusontheFSA’sofficialwebsitebeforeimportingproducts.
• Compliancewithallergenlabelingrequirements:ItmustcomplywithChina’s"GeneralPrinciplesfortheLabelingofPrepackagedFoods"(GB7718).Forproductscontainingthe14allergensoftheEuropeanUnion(suchaspeanut,milk,andnuts),itisnecessarytoclearlylabel"containsXX"inChineseonthelabel.

During the customs declaration process,we can provide HS code pre-classification services (UK biscuits are typically classified under HS 1905.3100 "Sweet biscuits") and assist in calculating the comprehensive tax rate (15% Most Favored Nation tariff + 13% VAT,with no anti-dumping duty).Additionally,regarding the declaration of "country of origin",if the biscuit raw materials (such as wheat) come from the European Union,the origin must be determined as the UK according to the "substantial transformation" principle (proof of processing procedures is required).

5.Full-process agency: A detailed explanation of the 9 major steps from consultation to feedback

Our services cover the entire lifecycle of imports,ensuring seamless integration at every stage:

• CustomerInquiry:Throughquestionnairesandinterviews,clarifytheproductspecifications(suchasaspecificationof200g/box),quantity(suchas500boxes),timerequirements(suchas90daystoarriveattheport),andspecialrequirements(suchasorganiccertificationlabels);
• NegotiationandContractSigning:ReviewthecontracttermsbetweentheclientandtheBritishsupplier(withafocusontheclaimperiodforqualitynon-complianceandthesharingofportdetentionfees),andsignanagencyagreement(specifyingthescopeofservices,feestandards,andresponsibilitydivision);
• Orders&Payment:AssistclientsinmakingpaymentsviaT/T(30%advance+70%uponarrival)or(L/C,needtoreview"softclauses"suchas"paymentuponclientinspectionreport")tocompletepayment;forRussiare-exportbusiness,VTBBankisrecommendedastheadvisingbank;
• ProductionSupervision:Ifrequestedbytheclient,wecanentrustalocalthird-partyorganizationintheUK(suchasSGS)tosupervisetheproductionprocessandverifythebatchesofrawmaterials(e.g.butterfromdesignatedfarms)andtheproductionenvironment(e.g.workshopcleanlinessmeetingISO22000standards).
• LogisticsManagement:Choosethetransportationmethodbasedontheorderquantity(e.g.selectinga20-footcontainerfor2,000boxes),coordinatewiththeshippingcompanytobooktheshippingspace,andpreparea"BookingAgencyLetter"(specifyingrequirementssuchas"non-transshipment"and"noportcall").
• CustomsCompliance:Pre-enterthecustomsdeclarationform(throughtheSingleWindowsystem),submittheaccompanyingdocuments(suchastheelectronicversionofthehealthcertificate),paythecustomsduties(wecanassistinapplyingfor"consolidatedtaxation"toreducecapitaloccupation),andcooperatewithcustomsinspections(suchasopeningthecontainerforrandomsamplingof10%ofthegoods).
• DeliveryandDistribution:Aftercustomsclearance,wewillarrangedomestictransportation(withagreedpricessignedwithJDLogisticsandSFExpress),andsupportdoor-to-doordeliveryorwarehousestorage(suchasCainiao’sbondedwarehouse).
• QualityAssurance:Helpclientsconductspotchecksonthedeliveredgoods(suchasrandomlyopeningboxestocheckthebreakagerate,whichshouldbe≤2%).Ifanyqualityissues(suchasmold)arefound,assistininitiatingthereturnorclaimprocess(withinthe15-dayclaimperiodstipulatedinthecontract);
• SummaryandFeedback:Providethe"ImportBusinessReport"(includingcostanalysis,deliverytimestatistics,andproblemreview),settlethefinalpayment,andestablishacustomerservicefile(tofacilitatequickretrievalofhistoricaldataforfuturecooperation).

Conclusion

Deep cultivationWith 20 years of experience in the field,we have served over 500 food import enterprises and handled more than 300 orders for British biscuit imports,accumulating rich practical experience.We always aim for "zero errors in documentation and zero delays in logistics," leveraging our professional expertise to help clients reduce operational risks and improve supply chain efficiency.Whether you’re a novice trying to import for the first time or a seasoned enterprise seeking superior agency services,choosing us means opting for peace of mind and efficiency.