The booming Cross-Border E-Commerce (CBEC) in China facilities Chinese consumers’ shopping for foreign commodities. However the success of CBEC is a double edged sword and poses new food safety risks. China AQSIQ has released the draft of Detailed Rules for Supervision and Administration on Food Imported by Bonded Mode of Cross-Border E-commerce (see CL food news on 16 Oct 2015), which if passed unchanged will finally change China’s current lax regulatory policy for CBEC goods.
Currently CBEC platforms can import products without Chinese labels and are free from complying with Chinese food regulations as well as CIQ inspections. Recently, local CIQs found a number of problematic snacks, baby products and cosmetics, etc. violating Chinese regulations imported through CBEC.
Under the traditional import model, H1 2015 data shows, there were 1255 batches of foods weighing 4960 tons identified by local CIQs as unqualified products. Extrapolating from this data and including the almost non-existent regulatory requirements for CBEC foods we can make a well educated guess that among all CBEC foods there must be a considerable percentage that fit high risk food criteria.
After the CBEC draft rules come into force, foods imported via the bonded mode of CBEC will be subject to almost the same regulatory and market access requirements with those imported through traditional channels. Local CIQs are attempting to improve the CBEC current supervisory system and service platforms.
Guangdong CIQ is running a pilot project in which it has established an integrated service platform for CBEC fresh foods, centralized lab testing, CIQ inspection and service. All CBEC companies, commodities as well as warehouses will be recorded by CIQ. Meanwhile, the CIQ also adopts classified management over CBEC foods by making a negative list, high-risk product list and a list of products with relative low risk, aiming to enhance the efficiency of CIQ inspection and customs clearance.
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