导航菜单
On October 20, 2026, China's General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) released information on food products denied entry at Chinese ports in September 2026.
In September, Chinese customs authorities identified 546 batches of food products that failed to meet safety, hygiene, or other relevant requirements and were therefore denied entry. This represented a 28% month-on-month decrease, down 209 batches from 755 in August 2026, but a 23% year-on-year increase, up 103 batches from 443 during the same period last year.
The 546 batches covered a wide range of product categories, including frozen meat, poultry and aquatic products, edible oils, confectionery, nuts and nut products, honey, fruit products, beverages, alcoholic beverages, canned foods, seasonings, puffed snacks, and baked goods.
By country/region of origin: Ecuador ranked first for the fifth consecutive month, with 105 batches in September, down from 270 in August. All the products involved were frozen South American white shrimp, with the main reasons being the detection of animal diseases and excessive sodium metabisulfite levels. India and the United States followed, with 91 and 69 batches, respectively.
By total weight of rejected products: Ecuador, the United States, and Russia ranked among the top three, accounting for 25%, 18%, and 16% of the total weight, respectively.
By port of entry: Shenzhen Port ranked first, accounting for 24% of the total. Tianjin and Shanghai ranked second and third, accounting for 16% and 15%, respectively.
The leading reason for denial in September was non-compliant labeling, accounting for 138 batches, an increase of 49 from 89 in August. The affected products spanned multiple categories, including puffed snacks, seasonings, beverages, baked goods, confectionery, and alcoholic beverages. Labeling regulations vary considerably across countries and regions, while differences in product flavors, formulations, and marketing claims create additional compliance challenges. As a result, imported food products may easily fall short of China's requirements for ingredient lists, nutritional information, warning statements, and other labeling elements.
Sodium metabisulfite non-compliance ranked second, with 80 batches, down from the previous month. The affected products were frozen aquatic products. Discrepancies between goods and accompanying certificates or documents ranked third, involving 61 batches.
Other recurring issues included the detection of animal diseases, non-compliant sensory examination results, and products that did not meet China's entry requirements.
The month-on-month changes in the most common reasons for imported food products being denied entry are summarized below.
|
Reason for Denial of Entry |
September Batches* |
August Batches* |
Change |
|
Non-compliant labeling |
138 |
89 |
↑49 |
|
Sodium metabisulfite failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
80 |
219 |
↓139 |
|
Discrepancies between goods and accompanying certificates/documents |
61 |
57 |
↑4 |
|
Detection of animal diseases |
49 |
92 |
↓43 |
|
Sensory examination results failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
43 |
23 |
↑20 |
|
Product not meeting entry requirements |
36 |
67 |
↓31 |
|
Registration issues involving overseas food manufacturers |
22 |
30 |
↓8 |
|
Failure to provide certificates or supporting documentation as required |
18 |
18 |
0 |
|
Chloramphenicol failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
18 |
0 |
↑18 |
|
Furans and their metabolites failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
17 |
34 |
↓17 |
|
Sulfur dioxide failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
10 |
3 |
↑7 |
|
Contamination or spoilage |
10 |
8 |
↑2 |
|
Non-compliant shelf life |
10 |
2 |
↑8 |
|
Melengestrol acetate failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
10 |
0 |
New |
|
Genetically modified ingredients |
9 |
19 |
↓10 |
|
Original seal damaged before inspection began, with an incomplete seal number, making it impossible to verify whether the seal was original |
8 |
0 |
↑8 |
|
Use of unauthorized novel food ingredients |
6 |
32 |
↓26 |
|
Calcium chloride failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
6 |
0 |
New |
|
Curcumin failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
5 |
0 |
New |
|
Salmonella counts failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
3 |
0 |
New |
|
Phosphoric acid and phosphates failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
3 |
8 |
↓5 |
|
Lead test results failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
3 |
2 |
↑1 |
|
Product showing signs of mold |
2 |
1 |
↑1 |
|
Carbendazim failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
2 |
0 |
New |
|
Coliform counts failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
2 |
0 |
New |
|
Ofloxacin failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
2 |
0 |
New |
|
Cyhalothrin and lambda-cyhalothrin failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
2 |
0 |
New |
|
Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
2 |
0 |
New |
|
Ractopamine failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
2 |
0 |
New |
|
Illegal addition of non-food substances |
2 |
0 |
New |
|
Zinc failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
2 |
0 |
New |
|
Quality indicators failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
2 |
0 |
New |
|
Cadmium test results failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
1 |
29 |
↓28 |
|
Profenofos |
1 |
0 |
New |
|
Dihydroquercetin failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
1 |
0 |
New |
|
Storage temperature failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
1 |
12 |
↓11 |
|
Non-compliant packaging |
1 |
5 |
↓4 |
|
Presence of animal-derived ingredients not approved for entry into China |
1 |
0 |
New |
|
Presence of impurities |
1 |
0 |
New |
|
Sorbic acid failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Combined levels of enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
1 |
0 |
New |
|
Volatile basic nitrogen failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
1 |
2 |
↓1 |
|
Sunset Yellow failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Tartrazine failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
1 |
0 |
New |
|
Sea fennel essential oil failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
1 |
0 |
New |
|
Oregano essential oil failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
1 |
0 |
New |
|
Sweet orange oil failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
1 |
0 |
New |
|
Total viable count failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
1 |
0 |
New |
|
Allura Red failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
1 |
0 |
New |
|
Iron failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
1 |
0 |
New |
|
Mold and yeast counts failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
1 |
0 |
New |
|
Verbena essential oil failing to comply with China's national food safety standards |
1 |
0 |
New |
💡 ZMUni Compliance Insights
Many global food exporters face costly border rejections due to insufficient preliminary compliance screening or misunderstandings of China's evolving regulatory requirements. To prevent irreversible financial losses, enterprises are strongly encouraged to conduct comprehensive, proactive compliance assessments prior to shipment.
For more information on China food compliance, including including services for new food ingredient applications, please visit our food services pages or contact us at info@zmuni.com.
