EXPORTS IN CHINA Decrees 248/249: NEW REQUIREMENTS AND Registration of food product companies

The People’s Republic of China announced starting on the 1st of January 2022, the Decrees n. 248 and n. 249 issued by the General Administration of Chinese Customs (GACC).

The decrees introduce new requirements regarding food products imported from foreign countries, and impose particular obligations on all foreign producers of food products to be exported in China.

The main obligations under these decrees are:

  • The mandatory registration/approval of foreign producers of food products with the GACC.
  • New requirements regarding the packaging and labelling of imported food.

There are two different registration methods. Which one you use is based on food product categories. Exporters are encouraged to use the spreadsheet attached to this report, or the listing in the “Single Window” website to determine product category. The second FAQ provides more information.

Method 1 - Competent Authority Registration Process If the product your facility produces falls into the 18 categories, GACC requires you to register your facility through a competent authority in accordance with Article 8 of Decree 248.  Companies wishing to export meat and poultry products to China should refer to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service’s (FSIS) export library. It can be found at China | Food Safety and Inspection Service (usda.gov).  Companies that need to register a facility through a competent authority, except for those exporting meat and poultry, need to request registration through FDA’s Export Listing Module (ELM).

Method 2 - Self-Registration Process If the product your facility produces does not fall into the 18 categories, GACC requires you to selfregister your facility in accordance with Article 9 of Decree 248. You can access the GACC “Single Window” website to register at “China Import Food Enterprises Registration (CIFER)”. FAS China has published several guides to the self-registration process.

As a result of the registration procedure, an appropriate identification code will be obtained and it must be indicated on each inner and outer packaging of the food.

ITA GROUP supports the agri-food companies for the registration of B procedures of companies at the Chinese customs.