New China Import Rules Rattle U.S., EU Food, Beverage Makers

Makers of Irish whiskey, Belgian chocolate, and European coffee brands are scrambling to comply with new Chinese food and beverage regulations, with many fearful their goods will be unable to enter the giant market by the Jan. 1 deadline, Dominique Patton and Siddharth Cavale reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: Shipping container cranes in the port of Tianjin, China

China's customs authority published new food safety rules in April stipulating all food manufacturing, processing, and storage facilities abroad need to be registered by year-end for their goods to access the Chinese market.

Irate exporters said the detailed procedures explaining how to get the required registration codes were only issued in October, while a website for companies allowed to self-register went online last month.

"We're heading for major disruptions after Jan. 1," said a Beijing-based diplomat from a European country who is assisting food producers with the new measures. China's food imports have surged in recent years amid growing demand from a huge middle class.

They were worth $89 billion in 2019, according to a report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), making China the world's sixth-largest food importer.

China has tried to implement new rules covering food imports for years, triggering opposition from exporters.

The General Administration of Customs of China (GACC), overseeing the latest iteration of the rules, has provided little explanation for why all foods, even those considered low-risk such as wine, flour, and olive oil, are covered by the requirements.

Several diplomats and exporters said they saw the rules as a trade barrier for overseas products. "We have never had anything this draconian out of China," said Andy Anderson, executive director of the Western United States Agricultural Trade Association (WUSATA), a trade group that promotes US food exports.

He described the rules as a "non-tariff trade barrier." Food, especially chilled and frozen food, has already faced severe delays clearing Customs in China in the last year due to coronavirus testing and disinfection measures.

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