On Aug. 17, 2021, General Administration of Customs of China (GAC) published the list of non-compliant food products in July. A total of 177 batches of imported food from 34 countries/regions were rejected.

The largest proportion of non-compliant imported food in July came from Japan (10.7%, mostly snacks), followed by Vietnam (10.1%, mostly aquatic products) and India (7.9%, mostly spices). The major reasons for the import rejection were:

• Exceeding the use of food additives/nutritional fortification substances (14%)

• Unqualified food label (12%)

• Lack of required documents or evidential materials (10%)

• Detection of animal epidemic diseases (9%)

• Lack of inspection & quarantine permit (7%)

Noteworthy Products 

1. Dairy 

Six batches of dairy products including one batch of camel milk, one batch of condensed milk, one batch of liquid milk and three batches of yogurt from multiple countries failed customs clearance in July. Among them, four batches were rejected for exceeding shelf life and food spoilage, and one batch was rejected due to the lack of required documents or evidential materials. To avoid such issues, importers should learn the import procedure and make the preparation in advance to gain a faster customs clearance, or find better storage approach to prolong the shelf life. Please check China Dairy Regulations to learn all the required documents or evidential materials when exporting dairy products to China.

2. Complementary baby food 

Two batches of complementary baby food from Portugal and Taiwan, China were rejected owing to the substandard level of vitamin A and vitamin E respectively. Since China has stringent control over high-risk food including baby food, and the corresponding requirements may differ from that of other countries, please check GB 10769-2010 for detailed requirements of cereal-based complementary foods for infants and young children.

3. Sports nutrition 

One batch of Australian sports nutrition product failed customs clearance due to the excessive use of nutritional fortifier. Check China Food Additives Database for more information of the use of nutritional fortifier. In addition, China consulted on the new GB standard for sports nutrition food lately, check ChemLinked News for the potential changes which might have an impact on stakeholders.