On April 13, the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) announced the “Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on the Registration and Administration of Overseas Producers of Imported Food” and the “Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on the Administration of Import and Export Food Safety”. These two regulations would be formally implemented on January 1, 2022 and the current six import and export food supervision regulations would be replaced at the same time. The new regulations are very different from the current practice. Export companies including producers and exporters need to pay attention to:
One, All producer’s registration
1. After the implementation of the new regulations, all types of food producers shall apply for registration with GACC. In the past, overseas producers that operate meat products, dairy products, aquatic products, honey products, and bird’s nest products required registration.
2. The approval of registration is valid for five years. During the validity period of the registration, if the producer’s registration information changes while the registration is valid, the producer shall submit application for change to GACC through the application path.
3. In cases of changed production site, legal representative, or registration number in the country where the producer is located, the producer shall re-apply for registration, and the original China registration number will automatically become invalid.
4. Finding a registered facility no longer conforms with the registration requirements, GACC shall suspend imports from the producer. The producer shall complete the rectification within the given time and submit a written rectification report and a written statement confirming (it) conforms with the registration requirements for GACC review. Passing GACC review, food imports from the producer is resumed.
5. If a producer intends to renew its registration, it shall, within three to six months before the registration expires, apply to GACC for renewal of registration through the application path.
Two, Registration method
Based on the risk assessment of food safety, GACC divides applicant companies into two categories, which are registered in the following ways:
|
Product Category |
Application Path |
| Meat and meat products, casings, aquatic products, dairy products, bird’s nest and bird’s nest products, honey and honey products, eggs and egg products, edible fats and oils, stuffed pasta, edible grains, milling grain products and malt, fresh and dehydrated vegetables and dried beans, seasonings, nuts and seeds, dried fruits, unroasted coffee beans and cocoa beans, special dietary foods, health foods | Official recommended registration:
Registration recommended by the competent authority of the host country |
| Other categories of food | Self-registration or Agent-registration:
The producer itself or its agent shall apply to GACC for registration |
Three, All exporter’s filing
1. Foreign exporters or agents who export food to China shall apply to GACC for filing.
2. If the content of the record is changed, an application must be submitted to the GACC for update within 60 days from the date of the change takes place.
Four, CCIC CANADA’s full service
Registration, filing, change, and renewal are a systematic set of tasks, which requires professional and up-to-date operation. At the same time, producers need to establish an effective food safety and sanitation management system and food defense system to ensure that exported food continuously meet the requirements of China, as well as the importer’s assessment and official evaluation and audit requirements. This requires producers and exporters to have a real-time acknowledge and accurate understanding of registration/filing requirements, import regulations and China national (GB) standards. In order to release the export companies from this work and focus on production and trade, CCIC CANADA has launched a butler-style third-party agency service, which includes:
1. Prepare application materials
2. Application for registration/filing
3. Consultation on food safety and sanitation management system and food defense system
4. Consultation on importer’s audit
5. Consultation on official evaluation and audit
6. Consultation on rectification measurements while registration is suspended
7. GB standard compliance testing
8. Consultation on food labeling and ingredient compliance
9. Consultation on safe and fast customs clearance solution
10. Service of CCIC Traceability
With accurate information resources, unobstructed cooperative channels, and practical experience in trade services, CCIC CANADA provides you with 24×7 full-time services, assisting you to export to China worry-free!
Regulation Links:
2. Measures for the Administration of Import and Export Food Safety of the People’s Republic of China