The Agency of Foreign Trade issued Official Document No. 500/XNK-NH dated May 13, 2026, regarding the General Administration of Customs of China's (GACC) enforcement of Decree 280 on food imports into this country.

According to the Agency of Foreign Trade, the General Administration of Customs of China issued Announcement No. 27 of 2026 on March 18, 2026, guiding the implementation of contents related to the "Regulations on the Registration Administration of Foreign Manufacturers of Imported Food into China" (Decree 280). This announcement was previously forwarded to relevant agencies by the Agency of Foreign Trade under Document No. 315/XNK-NH dated March 31, 2026.

The Agency of Foreign Trade noted that regarding the risk assessment documentation for products associated with Decree 280, the evaluation factors for products requiring an official letter of recommendation from competent authorities upon enterprise code registration are reviewed based on: the level of food safety risk, the proportion of non-compliant imported shipments, previous history of serious food safety incidents, and alignment with international practices.

The non-application of automatic extensions for registration codes is considered when enterprise information needs updating and manual verification; when the assessment of the competent authority's and enterprise's management systems must be done manually; or when sudden incidents arise related to the product at national, industry, or regional levels.

Product Directory and assessment conclusions: 17 out of 18 food products imported into China must undergo enterprise registration via the method featuring a letter of recommendation from a competent authority. Frozen fruits do not fall under this category, except for certain products possessing requirements under specific protocols.

Regarding the extension mechanism, the majority of product groups are permitted for automatic extension, with the exception of meat and meat products, alongside bird's nests and bird's nest products, which are not granted automatic extensions due to high risks.

The Agency of Foreign Trade further noted that the detailed risk analysis for the 18 food groups imported into China concentrates on these aspects: raw material sources; production and processing methods; transportation and preservation; history of violations; and international management practices.

The risk assessment results show several contents that require attention: Bird's nests and bird's nest products: Risk factors that must be controlled include nitrite, aluminum, and diseases.

Vegetable oil products: Harbor potential risks of pest infestation; genetic modification; alongside acid values and peroxide values. Flour pastry products with fillings: Pose food safety risks; alongside transportation and preservation risks.

Rice products: Within the catalog, "grains used for food" has been adjusted to the "rice group"; harboring risks of pest infestation; food safety risks; heavy metal (cadmium) residues; and genetically modified rice.

Dried vegetable products: Face food safety risks (detection of sulfur dioxide and food additives in products exceeding permissible levels, alongside heavy metal residues).

Spice powder products: Carry food safety risks (mold, acid values, peroxide values exceeding thresholds, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and ethylene oxide (ETO)). Nuts and seeds: Pose food safety risks; alongside potential risks of spreading pests.

Dairy products: Carry potential risks of spreading zoonotic diseases from animals to humans; potential risks of spreading animal epidemics; and pathogenic microorganisms such as Listeria, Salmonella, etc.

Seafood products: Easily encounter risks regarding aquatic animal diseases; non-compliant quality indicators; invalid certificates; pollutants exceeding permissible limits; inappropriate labeling; veterinary drug and pesticide residues; alongside microorganisms and parasites.

Particularly for frozen fruits, market access management is not applied. However, for certain products featuring requirements according to specific protocols, foreign manufacturing enterprises must execute registration via the method of receiving an official letter of recommendation.

From June 1, 2026, Decree No. 280 of China Customs regarding the registration management of foreign food enterprises will officially take effect.

Source: Bao Cong Thuong