Import of Southeast Asian Fruits and European Dairy Products: New Thresholds in 2026

The stock of refrigerated containers at Shanghai Waigaoqiao Port increased by 17% compared to the same period last year.Behind this figure is the reality faced by imported food traders: the peak season for Southeast Asian tropical fruits has arrived early,and the order volume of European dairy products continues to rise,but customs clearance resistance is also increasing simultaneously.The revised version of the *Regulations on the Administration of Registration of Overseas Food Production Enterprises for Import* released by the General Administration of Customs at the end of last year raised the on-site inspection rate from the original 12% to 18%,and the unqualified rate of label inspection has remained at a high level of 23% for three consecutive quarters.For small and medium-sized enterprises without a dedicated customs affairs team,this means that one out of every five batches of goods may face the risk of rectification or return.

In its office in Caohejing Development Zone,Zhongshen,Mr.Xing is flipping through a stack of copy documents rejected by the customs.His company mainly deals in Thai durian and Vietnamese pitaya.Three containers were directly returned by Wusong Port in March because the plant quarantine certificate did not indicate the specific orchard registration number.This situation is not an isolated case.In 2026,the quarantine requirements for fruits exported from ASEAN countries to China have added the "orchard to packaging factory traceability chain" audit,and many foreign suppliers have not yet updated their certificate issuing systems.Similar problems also occur in the dairy sector: the format of the EU official health certificate has been adjusted,causing the production enterprise registration number on some certificates to fail to automatically match the General Administration of Customs’ filing database,and the manual verification period is extended to 5-7 working days.

Core Positioning of Zhongshen’s Import Agency Services

Zhongshen’s team structure is quite illustrative: Among the 20-person customs declaration team,8 hold the customs classification qualification certificate,5 have the inspection declaration qualification,and 3 are specifically responsible for document pre-audit.This configuration is rare in pure customs brokerage firms.Mr.Yu’s statement is practical: "We are not just document passers,but we need to bring compliance risks under control before the cargo arrives at the port." In 2026,about 67% of the food import customs declarations handled by Zhongshen found potential problems during the document pre-audit stage,among which the proportion of labels that do not meet the new GB 7718-2026 standard is the highest,reaching 41%.

The value of agency services is reflected in three aspects.First is information symmetry.Customs policy adjustments are usually released through announcements,but the specific implementation guidelines need to be repeatedly confirmed with on-site departments.Zhongshen conducts business docking with the inspection sections of the three major ports of Wusong,Waigaoqiao,and Yangshan every week to obtain the latest implementation dynamics.Second is professional judgment.For example,for the HS code classification of imported cheese,whether it is 0406 or 040690,the tax rate difference can reach 8 percentage points.Incorrect classification not only involves tax repayment,but may also be recognized as false declaration.Finally is resource coordination.When the cargo is selected for inspection,Zhongshen’s on-site personnel can coordinate the terminal to transfer containers and book inspection within 2 hours.This response speed directly affects the quality loss of fresh products.

Document Pre-Audit: Blocking Compliance Loopholes Before Shipment

Origin and Health Certificate Verification

In April 2026,Zhongshen received a commission from Mr.Bi to act as an agent for importing a batch of New Zealand butter.During the document pre-audit,customs officers found that the production enterprise address on the health certificate issued abroad had a slight difference from the filing information in the General Administration of Customs: the certificate reads "Rural Delivery 2",while the filing system uses "RD2".This detail seems trivial,but if the system comparison fails,foreign countries will be required to reissue the certificate after arrival,which takes at least two weeks.Zhongshen immediately launched a pre-verification procedure,confirmed the address expression through official New Zealand channels,and submitted a situation explanation to the port customs in advance.The cargo cleared customs smoothly after arrival,saving at least 10 days.

For fruit imports,Zhongshen has established a "certificate element checklist".Taking Thai durian as an example,it must include: orchard registration number (must match the list published by the General Administration of Customs),packaging factory registration number,cold treatment record (if applicable),and statement of no specific pests.In 2026,the customs launched a new electronic certificate verification system.Zhongshen will upload the certificate scan to the internal simulation verification platform during the pre-audit stage to identify matching problems in advance.

Label Compliance Review

GB 7718-2026 *General Rules for Labeling of Prepackaged Food* puts forward stricter requirements for the Chinese labels of imported foods.Zhongshen’s label review process includes three steps: verification of the accuracy of the original label translation,inspection of the completeness of mandatory content,and verification of layout and format compliance.Mandatory content includes: food name,ingredient list,net content,country of origin,importer information,production date,shelf life,storage conditions,and the 2026 new requirement for labeling the percentage of nutrient reference values.

Mr.Wu once imported a batch of Italian olive oil.The "Extra Virgin" on the original label was directly translated as "Extra Virgin" on the Chinese label,which was not a problem in itself.But during the review,Zhongshen found that the acidity value of the product was 0.5%,and according to the International Olive Council standards,it can only be labeled as "Virgin" level.If declared as "Extra Virgin",it will constitute false labeling once inspected and tested by the customs.Zhongshen suggested adjusting the Chinese label expression,avoiding subsequent legal risks.

Port Customs Declaration: Accurate Classification and Price Declaration

Handling HS Code Classification Disputes

In 2026,the General Administration of Customs adjusted the classification interpretation of mixed nuts and dried fruit products.A batch of Vietnamese mixed fruit and vegetable dry goods代理 by Zhongshen includes banana chips,jackfruit chips and purple sweet potato chips.The customer initially classified it as "other dried fruits" under 0813.5000,with a tariff rate of 15%.Zhongshen’s classification analyst analyzed the ingredient ratio and found that banana chips accounted for more than 60%.According to General Rule 3 (2) of classification,it should be classified as "banana chips" under 0803.0000,with the tax rate reduced to 10%.This adjustment saved the customer approximately CNY 50,000 in taxes.

The complexity of classification disputes lies in that on-site customs officers and classification center experts may have different understandings.Zhongshen’s approach is: for new products imported for the first time,apply for a pre-classification opinion from the tariff department of the directly affiliated customs in advance.Although this process takes 7 working days,the obtained written opinion is valid for one year and applicable to all ports across the country.In the first half of 2026,Zhongshen applied for 12 pre-classification opinions,involving a total value of more than CNY 30 million,effectively avoiding classification risks.

Price Declaration and Royalty Fees

Customs price review is another major difficulty in the import process.In 2026,the General Administration of Customs has strengthened the verification of royalty fees,especially technical authorization fees for food formulas.A batch of Japanese functional beverages imported by Zhongshen’s agency includes trademark royalties and formula authorization fees in the contract,accounting for 8% of the total payment.Zhongshen voluntarily included this part of the cost in the dutiable value when declaring,and provided a detailed cost allocation explanation.Although the tax amount increased,it avoided the risk of tax repayment and fines during subsequent customs audits.Mr.Xing’s experience is: "Active declaration is much cheaper than passive audit.Zhongshen’s prediction in this regard is very accurate."

Commodity Inspection: Key Nodes from Sampling to Release

Sampling and Inspection Process Coordination

In 2026,the customs added six indicators including melamine,aflatoxin M1,and heavy metal lead to the sampling inspection items for imported dairy products.The inspection period was extended from the original 5 working days to 10 working days.Zhongshen has established a rapid inspection channel with the Shanghai Institute for Food and Drug Control,which can compress the time from sampling to inspection to within 24 hours.For samples that need to be stored refrigerated,Zhongshen is equipped with a dedicated cold chain transport container to ensure that the temperature of the sample is controlled at 2-8℃ during transportation,avoiding repeated sampling due to sample failure.

Mr.Yu shared a case: A batch of French cheese was selected for inspection at Yangshan Port in March,and the laboratory test found that the total number of colonies exceeded the standard.Zhongshen immediately launched an emergency plan: first,check the foreign factory inspection report to confirm that the product was qualified when leaving the country; second,analyze the temperature records during transportation and found that the temperature fluctuated to 12℃ for about 4 hours.It was finally determined that the problem was in the transportation link,not the product quality itself.Zhongshen assisted the customer in submitting a situation explanation to the customs and supplemented the hygiene control records of the foreign production process.The customs agreed to re-sample the remaining goods of the same batch,and finally released them after passing the inspection.

Label Rectification and Storage Management

Unqualified label inspection is the main reason for imported food to be returned.Zhongshen has a label rectification warehouse in the Wusong Port Bonded Zone,equipped with complete equipment for label printing,laminating,and labeling.In April 2026,a batch of Australian honey was judged unqualified because the Chinese label did not include the warning statement "Not suitable for infants and young children".During the temporary storage of the goods in the bonded warehouse,Zhongshen completed the label redesign and pasting.It only took 3 days from rectification to passing the re-inspection,avoiding the return of the entire container.

For goods that need to be stored in isolation,Zhongshen can coordinate designated cold storage resources.Imported frozen meat products must be stored in cold storage filed with the customs.Zhongshen has signed long-term agreements with five first-class cold storages to ensure that the goods are stored within 24 hours after arrival,and the storage information is connected to the customs supervision system in real time.

Practical Case: Mr.Xing’s Durian Import Dilemma

Mr.Xing imported two containers of Monthong durian from Thailand in April,valued at approximately CNY 800,000.Three days before the cargo arrived at the port,he found Zhongshen to seek agency services.After receiving the order,Zhongshen found three urgent problems: First,the orchard registration number on the plant quarantine certificate provided by foreign countries did not match the latest list published by the General Administration of Customs,because the Thai Ministry of Agriculture had just updated the orchard coding rules; Second,the "production date" on the Chinese label was marked as the picking date,not the packaging date,which did not meet the 2026 customs interpretation standards for fresh fruit labels; Third,the batch of durian was transported by sea refrigerated,but the cold treatment record was incomplete and could not prove that the temperature was continuously maintained at 0-2℃ during transportation.

Zhongshen took step-by-step remedial measures: First,contacted the local Ministry of Agriculture through Thai partners,obtained the official explanation document for the change of orchard registration number,and submitted a situation explanation to the customs before the cargo arrived at the port; Second,remade the Chinese label,marked the "packaging date" as the production date,and attached the processing records of the Thai packaging factory; Third,coordinated the shipping company to supplement the full temperature monitoring data and commissioned a third-party institution to issue a cold treatment effect verification report.Although the cargo was selected for inspection after arrival,due to sufficient documentation preparation,the inspection and release were completed in only 2 working days.Mr.Xing’s durian entered the wholesale channel of Shanghai Huizhan Market during the best tasting period.

Hidden Value of Zhongshen’s Agency Services

In addition to explicit cost savings,Zhongshen’s agency services also create hidden value.In the first quarter of 2026,the average customs clearance time for food goods代理 by Zhongshen was 4.2 working days,which was 3.5 days shorter than the average cycle of customers’ independent declaration.For fresh products,this means a 2-3 percentage point reduction in damage rate.More importantly,the reduction of compliance risks is directly reflected in the insurance premium rate.The import cargo insurance premium rate of Zhongshen’s customers is on average 0.5 basis points lower than that of other enterprises,because insurance companies regard professional agency customs declaration as a risk mitigation factor.

Another often overlooked value is data accumulation.Zhongshen has established an import commodity database for each customer,recording the classification,price review,and inspection status of each batch of goods.When customers plan to introduce new products,this database can provide decision-making references.For example,the trend of import tariff rates for a certain ingredient,the customs inspection rate of a certain type of product,the release speed of specific ports for products from a certain country,etc.These data insights help customers make better choices in procurement negotiations and supply chain layout.

Decision Considerations for Choosing Agency Customs Declaration

When enterprises decide whether to entrust agency customs declaration,they usually weigh costs and benefits.Zhongshen’s charging model is fixed agency fee plus actual reimbursement.The import agency fee for food products is usually 0.8%-1.2% of the cargo value.This cost needs to be compared with the hidden costs of independent declaration: customs officer salary (monthly salary of CNY 15,000-20,000),customs system procurement (annual fee of CNY 30,000-50,000),container detention fees caused by errors (CNY 300-500 per day),returned shipment losses (the value of a full container may be hundreds of thousands),etc.For enterprises with annual import value less than CNY 50 million,the comprehensive cost of entrusting an agency is usually lower.

The regulatory environment in 2026 has increased the difficulty of independent customs declaration.Although the customs ’active disclosure’ system gives enterprises room for self-examination and self-correction,it also requires enterprises to have professional compliance review capabilities.Zhongshen will regularly provide customers with import business health diagnosis to identify potential risk points.For example,if a customer’s declared price for three consecutive batches of goods is lower than the market price in the same period,it may be marked by the customs risk system.Zhongshen will suggest actively adjusting the declaration strategy to avoid triggering an audit.

Zhongshen’s 20 years of practice shows that the essence of import agency services is to turn compliance risks from uncontrollable to controllable,and to turn customs clearance time from uncertain to predictable.Against the background of increasingly strict supervision and refined standards in 2026,the value of professional customs brokerage companies lies not in replacing enterprises’ operations,but in using experience and resources to build a compliance firewall for enterprises.Mr.Xing calculated an account: Since entrusting Zhongshen as an agent,the damage rate of his durian import business has dropped from 8% to 2%,and the capital turnover speed has increased by 30%.The profit growth brought by these improvements far exceeds the agency fees paid.For the import food track that pays attention to timeliness and quality,professional agency is not a cost,but an investment.