Food importers in China face new risks
this month's changes to the registration system but importers say
the new procedure raises fresh concerns of its own.
For the past two years, launching a new food product on the Chinese market required a label registration with the national food safety authority in Beijing (AQSIQ).
Foreign companies faced long periods without feedback on their applications, and if an application was rejected, the entire process had to start again. The procedure posed a significant barrier to product launches, and given the increasing numbers of requests from foreign food makers, the likelihood of delays looked set to rise.
Now, after lobbying by the European chamber of commerce in China, the government has announced that from 1 April, it will allow the label registration to be done by local CIQs (inspection and quarantine bureaux) at the port of entry, at the same time as the quarantine and inspection procedure.
The news was initially welcomed by importers as it heralded lower costs and would reduce the time required to launch a new product on the market.
However a manager at one European company said that the new system may present bigger risks for importers, particularly those wishing to market fresh products.
"The problem is that the local authorities lack the knowledge and the manpower for this procedure," he told AP-Foodtechnology.com.
"Our biggest concern is that even if a label is registered in Shanghai for example, the product may not be allowed through another port. Previously the registration applied to the whole country.
He added that although the authorities have said the label verification and inspection will be done within four days, many in the industry fear it will take longer. "And if the new products are rejected, they will have to be destroyed - in the case of fresh products - or shipped back to the exporter, raising considerably the cost to companies whose products do not meet the requirements," continued the manager, who did not wish to be named.
It will not be clear how the new procedures function until new products start arriving at ports next month but some companies are considering shipping test containers to eliminate the risk of rejected goods.
In 2003, China imported US$397.4 billion worth of food, including agricultural products not affected by the labelling registration.
