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Decree No. 248 brings changes for food exporters to China

From January 2022, the new decree will come into force, bringing changes for anyone exporting food to China
Important to know

On 12 March 2021 Decree No. 248 “Provisions of the People’s Republic of China on Registration Administration of Overseas Manufacturers of Imported Food” was published by General Administration of Customs, P.R. China (GACC) and shall come into force as of 1 January 2022.

 


Below you can find the key facts that have changed in comparison to Decree No. 243 (2018):

  • Expand the scope of management: All oversea companies which are engaged in production, processing and storage of food exported to China shall apply to the registration administration.
  • Adjusted registration types: If the product is presented in one of 18 food categories it requires recommendation from their local competent authorities. If it is not presented in those categories the company is subjected to self-registration.
  • Innovative review method: The review is not limited to written forms, but also by videos, on-site inspection and other forms of inspection, or any combination of those.
  • Change of the registration number marking method: The registered overseas manufacturer shall mark the registration number on both the inner and outer packaging of its food exported to China.

Since products like meat and meat casing, aquatic products, dairy products and bee products are already regulated in the former regulation the manufacturers who have exported related food to China may already be in the GACC's list. When operating in one of the other remaining 14 food categories, manufacturers that are not organised in the relevant trade associations can contact their competent supervisory authority for being included in the recommendation list. Manufacturers of products which are not included in those 18 food categories (cf. annex below) will be able to register themselves via the platform www.singlewindow.cn without the recommendation. Before registration the manufacturers should get their “Located Country (Region) Register Number“ from their competent supervisory authority.

To keep export activities smooth, companies that maintain food trade relations with China shall finish the registration before 1 January 2022. Our team of experts can support you. For the moment the platform is under development and only available in Chinese.

Do you have any questions? Please do not hesitate to contact our team directly via email to clarify your questions or discuss your concerns.

 

Annex: 18 food categories:

Meat and meat casing, aquatic products, dairy products, bee products, cubilose and cubilose products, eggs and egg products, edible fats and oils, stuffed pasta, edible cereals, industrial cereal powder products and malt, fresh and dehydrated vegetables and dried beans, seasonings, nuts and seeds, dried fruits, unroasted coffee beans and cocoa beans, food for special dietary use, healthcare products under new regulation

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