By Audrey Yow
Published Feb 17, 2025
The General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC) is revising food import regulations, a move that could ease market access. However, experts warn that businesses must remain vigilant and adaptable as the details unfold.
This in turn simplifies the registration process and reduces compliance costs, particularly for companies that have obtained food safety management system recognition from their home country or region, said Subramania Bhatt, CEO and Founder of market intelligence firm China Trading Desk.
Bhatt pointed out that some countries may enjoy a competitive advantage based on their established regulatory frameworks and stronger bilateral relationships.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may also struggle with limited internal resources to comply with the changing regulations, such as the list of foods in the Catalogue, which may be updated at any time, Bhatt pointed out.
"The dynamic adjustment of the high-risk food catalogue requires businesses to maintain a high degree of flexibility and adaptability. "While this flexibility allows businesses to respond to evolving regulatory conditions, it can also increase long-term planning challenges and compliance costs, as companies will need to allocate resources to ongoing regulatory monitoring and adjustments.
Nonetheless, these changes can also drive improvements in food safety management standards across the industry," said Bhatt.
Foods exempt from registration
This also provides significant opportunities for businesses to enter the Chinese market via CBEC platforms such as Tmall Global, WeChat, Douyin, and JD Global, as they can bypass complex registration processes with the GACC, said Bhatt.
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