According to WTO statistics, China has become the world's largest food importer. So what are the basic requirements for imported food? Antion will explain from product standards, label, overseas manufacturers and importers.
01 About product standards
1. Imported food should comply with Chinese laws and regulations and national food safety standards, and where there are special requirements in international treaties and agreements concluded or acceded to by China, it should also comply with the requirements of international treaties and agreements.
2. The imported food, for which the national food safety standards are unavailable, shall comply with the requirements of the relevant interim applicable standards promulgated by the health authority of the State Council.
3. For food produced with new food raw materials, a health administrative permit for new food raw materials shall be obtained from the health authority of the State Council in accordance with provisions specified in Article 37 of the Food Safety Law.
02 About product label
Imported prepackaged food shall have Chinese label, which shall comply with the requirements of GB 7718-2011 National Food Safety Standard General Standard for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods. For imported prepackaged food, the country or region of origin, and the name and address of the agent, importer or distributor registered in the People's Republic of China, shall be declared, but the name, address and contact way of the manufacturer need not be declared. The name and address of the manufacturer in the original foreign language do not need to be translated into Chinese, and can be exempted from marking the relevant product standard code and quality level. Imported prepackaged food should be faithfully marked with the date of production according to the shelf life and the best date of consumption by affixing and reprinting, etc.
In addition to printed Chinese label, imported food can also be affixed with "white label", that is, when the food with label of the country of origin is imported into China, the original label (including nutrition label) information can be covered in the form of affixing label, to ensure that the content of the affixed label meets the requirements of China's relevant regulations and standards. However, it is necessary to pay special attention to that, in accordance with the requirements of the Measures for the Administration of Import and Export Food Safety (Order No. 249 of the GACC), the label of an imported health food or food for special dietary use in Chinese must be printed on the smallest sales package, and shall not be affixed thereto.
03 About overseas manufacturers
Overseas manufacturers should be registered according to laws. Overseas manufacturers of the following foods shall be recommended by the competent authorities of their countries/regions to the GACC for registration: meat and meat products, casings, aquatic products, dairy products, bird's nests and bird's nest products, bee products, eggs and egg products, edible oils and fats, oilseeds, stuffed pastry products, edible grains, milled grain industry products and malt, fresh and dehydrated vegetables and dried beans, condiments, nuts and seeds, dried fruits, unroasted coffee beans and cocoa beans, foods for special dietary purposes, and functional foods. Other overseas manufacturers shall, by themselves or by agents, file applications for registration with the GACC. A registered manufacturer shall mark the Chinese registration number or the registration number approved by the competent authority of the country/region on the inner and outer packaging of the foods exported to China.
04 About importers
A food importer shall make a filing with the Customs Administration in the place of his or her domicile. A food importer shall establish a food import and sales record system, truthfully record the name, net content/specification, quantity, production date, production or import lot number, shelf life, the name, address, and contact information of the overseas exporter or purchaser, delivery date, and other information on food; food import and sales records shall not be altered or forged, and the retention period shall not be less than 2 years.
Upon discovering that the import food fails to comply with laws, administrative regulations and national food safety standards, or there are evidences proving that the import food poses potential hazards to human health, food importers should, immediately suspend the import, sales and use, implement a recall, give a notice to relevant food producers, operators and consumers, record the processes of recall and notice, and file a report to the local Customs Administration about such recall, notice and response.
From the above four basic aspects, it can be seen that imported food and domestic food have a big difference in regulations. With the improvement of people's living standards and the rapid development of the "Belt and Road", food imports will gradually increase, manufacturers and importers are hoped to produce and import in accordance with laws, to promote the sustainable development of China's food import industry.
Source: Antion
Note: This article is compiled by Antion. Please indicate the source for reprint.