321 overseas manufacturers, 321 exporters and 321 importers engaged in imported food and cosmetics business have been publicly warned for safety or compliance issues during trade activities discovered during customs clearance. Over one fifth of these enterprises became new additions to the GAC risk warning list this year, joining the ranks of the other enterprise who have been present on the list for extended periods of time.
Overview of Risk Warning List
Introduction of Administrative Rules on Import Entities with Poor Track Record
According to the rules (click here to download Chinese version) drafted by former AQSIQ, overseas food manufacturers, exporters, domestic importers would be subject to more stringent supervision if their food products exported/imported into China are found to be substandard on two or more occasions (refer to Figure 1). GAC, which took over duties previously designated to the now disbanded AQSIQ is now responsible for managing the list and assigning proportionate supervision and enforcement.
Figure 1: risk warning management of enterprises with poor record
| Conditions for risk alert | Additionally required documentation for import next time | |||
| Type of non-compliant items | Varieties of products | Varieties of non-compliant items | Non-compliant batches | |
| Sanitary item | 1 | 1 | ≥2 | test report of non-compliant items |
| 1 | ≥2 | ≥4 | test report of all items of the non-compliant product | |
| ≥2 | ≥2 | ≥8 | test report of all items of all products | |
| Non-sanitary item | 1 | 1 | ≥3 | test report/supporting materials of non-compliant items |
| 1 | ≥2 | ≥6 | test report/supporting materials of all items of the non-compliant product | |
| ≥2 | ≥2 | ≥12 | test report/supporting materials of all items of all products | |
| Other safety risk | test report/supporting materials of designated items of certain products. | |||
*note:
Sanitary items: non-edible additives, prohibited substances, biotoxin contamination, the use of food additives being out of level, microorganism contamination, pollutant, GMO ingredients, pesticide and veterinary drug residue, irradiation
Non-sanitary items: unqualified package, non-compliant label, quality, harmful organism, unqualified certificate, others.
To remove their high-risk status an enterprise must not be involved in any safety problem for a minimum of 6 months as stipulated in the rules.
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