1. The additional regime
Food imports face the most demanding documentary requirements of any category, because the destination is regulating what its population eats.
2. The ordinary set
Commercial invoice.
Packing list.
Bill of lading.
Certificate of origin.
3. The health certificate
The central document.
Issued by the Chinese authority responsible for food safety, or by a designated inspection body.
It certifies that the food is fit for human consumption and was produced under conditions meeting the destination’s requirements.
Content requirements come from the destination, and they are specific:
The product and its lot or batch.
The manufacturer and the establishment.
The production date and the expiry date.
The statement of fitness.
The authority’s seal.
4. The free sale certificate
Confirms that the product is freely sold in China.
Required by many registries and by some customs authorities.
5. The establishment registration
Many destinations require the foreign manufacturer to be registered.
The United States requires food facility registration with the FDA, and for low-acid canned foods, a process filing.
The European Union requires the establishment to be listed for products of animal origin.
China’s exporters to these markets register the establishment, and the registration number appears on the documents.
6. The product-specific certificates
Products of animal origin
Veterinary health certificate, issued by the Chinese customs authority for animal and plant quarantine.
The certificate’s form is agreed between the two governments, and it is specific to the product and the destination.
Slaughterhouse approval where the destination requires it.
Plant products
Phytosanitary certificate, issued by the same authority.
Organic products
Organic certification, which must be to the destination’s standard, or an equivalence arrangement.
Halal products
Halal certification, from a body recognised in the destination.
7. The labelling
Nutrition labelling.
Allergen declaration.
Language requirements.
Country of origin.
The importer is responsible for the label, and the exporter supplies the information.
8. The GMO question
Where the product contains genetically modified material, most destinations require approval or labelling, and some prohibit it.
The declaration has to be accurate, and the supplier has to know.
9. The shelf life
The remaining shelf life at import is regulated in many destinations, commonly a minimum percentage of the total.
Documents must show the production and expiry dates clearly.
10. Common errors
Health certificate in the wrong form
The form is agreed bilaterally and product-specific.
Establishment not registered
The consignment cannot be imported.
Remaining shelf life below the minimum
Rejected on arrival.
Label in the wrong language
Refused by the food authority.
Phytosanitary or veterinary certificate missing
Required for the product category.
11. Closing view
Food is the category where the destination’s requirements are most specific and least transferable between markets.
A certificate that satisfies one destination’s food authority frequently satisfies no other, and the plan has to be built per market.
*This article is based on destination food safety requirements including FDA, EU and Chinese export inspection regimes. Exporters should confirm requirements with the destination food authority.*