China Destroyed Unqualified Imported Alcoholic Beverages

Earlier this month, a batch of ice wines was destroyed by local CIQ at Qingdao port in Shandong Province. It is the first time in years that imported ice wines failing China’s regulatory requirements were destroyed in Shandong.

Samples of the Portuguese made ice wines which totaled 2100 bottles were sent for inspection in designated labs. According to China’s National Standards GB/T 25504-2010 Ice Wines, the content of total sugar in ice wines shall be no less than 125.0 g/L. The result showed that the actual content of total sugar detected from the samples was 54.8 g/L, far lower than those specified in national standards. The ice wines were also found to be contaminated by yeast which will result in large amount of vapors which may in turn cause the glass bottles to crack.

China’s market for imported food and beverage is expanding. This trend is likely to continue and people’s preference for foreign brands is likely to increase. However, the safety of imported food is a major concern for consumers and regulators alike. From January to May this year Tianjin CIQ issued enforcement rectifications on 2000 out of 6000 batches of pre-packaged imported foods due to incompliance with national standards. The main causes of the incompliance are primarily linked to labeling, physical, chemical and microbiological indicators, nutrients and prohibited ingredients.