China Inspection Failures: Two Reminders for Exporting Drinking Products to China

424 batches of imported foods were blacklisted in AQSIQ’s July inspection failure list. In addition to the commonly seen causes of China CIQ inspection failure such as noncompliant labeling, it is noteworthy that a number of teas and wines were either destroyed or returned due to inappropriate contents.

Teas: Excess Content of Rare Earth Metals

5 batches of UK made Twinning teas, totaling 830kg, imported by COFCO which is China’s largest local importer were rejected at port by Chinese CIQ officials due to excess content of rare earth metals. In the same month there were also teas from New Zealand and Germany destroyed for the same reason. The financial losses associated with these China CIQ inspection failures have highlighted just how important paying attention to China’s nationally permitted maximum levels of contaminants and pesticides in tea products.

As for rare earth metals, the maximum level should not exceed:

See ChemLinked Analysis China Tea Standards: Safety Obligations of Tea Exported to China for complete information about levels of contaminants and pesticide residues allowed in teas.

Wines: Unqualified Dry Extracts

Even though noncompliant labeling is still the biggest problem that wine exporters face in terms of market entry, several batches of wines from France and Spain were reported as having unqualified dry extracts and were subsequently destroyed. To some extent it may be attributed to a divergence in the testing methods employed in China and those used in Europe. In China dry extracts are tested according to GB/T 15038-2006 Analytical Methods of Wine and Fruit Wine while in the EU and other countries they are subject to methods created by OIV. Two other batches of wines from Italy and Chile were returned due to sub-standard sensory quality and excess amount of iron elements detected.