INTERNATIONAL TRADE NEWS NEW REQUIREMENTS FOR FOOD The decree was put into place due to the rapid IMPORTS INTO CHINA
growth of China’s imported food trade volume in the recent years, the increasing Rapid Consumer Market Growth With a population of roughly 1.4 billion, it demand by consumers for imported food is no surprise that the Chinese consumer safety, and lastly due to the fact that the market is the world’s largest. Like the EU existing regulations can no longer meet the and United States, the food and beverage requirements of the current growth. sector has a very large piece of the consumer market share. According to the China Chain Store & Franchise Association, China’s food and beverage (F&B) sector reached approximately $595 billion in 2019, a 7.8 percent increase over 2018. Predictions by Statista.com estimates a massive rate of growth at nearly $2 Billion by 2026.
What Changes to Expect? Upon implementation, GACC Decree 248 now requires all overseas food manufacturers, processors, and storage facilities of all food products (except food additives and food-related products) to register with the GACC. In comparison with the current regulations, the GACC Decree 248 introduces several major changes. • Regulations Change Overview China’s Registration Management System for Overseas Manufacturers of Imported Foods was established over two decades • ago, in 1999. It is with little surprise that the General Administration of Customs of China (“GACC”) announced the Registration and Administration of Overseas Manufacturers of Imported Food (“GACC Decree 248”), which entered into force on 1 January 2022.
The applicable scope is expanded to all food categories; previously regulations only applied to certain categories of foods. Extended registration period - the new version extends the registration period for manufacturers producing imported food overseas, from the current 4 years to 5 years.
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