Food & beverage sourcing in China
Traceability, standards, health compliance: no shortcuts.
Imported food and beverage demand a level of rigour of their own: health compliance, labelling, traceability. The Canton Fair food hall is a good starting point, provided it is framed properly.
Food and beverage is the sector where regulation outweighs price. Importing from China means a supplier whose establishment is in order, complete files, and labelling compliant with the European Union, three conditions no sample, however good, can replace.
We work upstream: qualifying the factory (quality system, registrations), preparing the files with you, and pointing to the right controls (analyses, health certificate). With food, it is better to rule out an attractive but non-compliant supplier than to have a container held at the border.
- Dry groceries
- Ingredients & additives
- Beverages
- Food packaging
- Processed products
We prepare the regulatory files with you and point to the right controls. With food, compliance is non-negotiable, which is exactly where a serious intermediary earns its keep.
- GACC registration (Decree 248/249)
- Chinese establishments exporting food must be registered with China customs (GACC). An unregistered supplier cannot export sustainably.
- Health certificate
- Depending on the category, a health / phytosanitary certificate accompanies the shipment and conditions EU clearance.
- EU labelling (1169/2011)
- Mandatory particulars, allergens, nutrition, market language: labelling is designed upstream, not on arrival.
- Additives & contaminants
- Several additives allowed in China are restricted or banned in the EU; contaminant limits also differ. To verify by analysis.
- HACCP / BRC / IFS
- A recognised quality system on the factory side (HACCP, ideally BRC or IFS) is a marker of seriousness in food.
Varies by product: from a test pallet to a full container; regulatory files often weigh more than volume.
The regulatory file (registrations, analyses, labelling) can take several weeks to several months; production follows the product.
Labelling non-compliant with the EU, additives banned in Europe, an incomplete GACC file and broken cold chain. Compliance is prepared before the order, not after.
- Can my supplier actually export to the EU?
- Only if its establishment is registered (GACC, Decree 248/249) and the required certificates follow. We verify that status before committing to anything.
- Who handles compliant labelling?
- We frame it with you upstream (mandatory particulars, allergens, language) so it is produced correctly at the factory, not redone in a rush on arrival.
- Is an additive allowed in China allowed in Europe?
- Not always. Several additives and limits differ between China and the EU. The point is settled by the recipe and, if needed, by lab analysis.