According to the Food Safety Law and the Administrative Measures for Import and Export Food Safety, prepackaged food without Chinese label, Chinese instruction or label and instruction that do not meet requirements is not allowed to be imported. The followings are common Q&As about Chinese label of imported prepackaged food.

What is prepackaged food?

Prepackaged food means food prepackaged or made up in advance with a measured quantity in package and container, including the foods prepackaged and made up in advance with a measured quantity in a package and container, and they own uniform labeling for weight or volume within a certain limit.

What elements shall be indicated on the Chinese label of imported prepackaged food?

1. Name, specification, net content, production date;

2. Components or ingredients list;

3. The name, address and contact way of the importer, agent or distributor (the manufacturer may not be marked);

4. Shelf life;

5. Storage condition;

6. The general names of food additives used in the national standards;

7. The country name or region name of the country of origin (such as Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are marked as the place of origin);

8. The prepackaged food provided directly to consumers shall also be labeled with nutrition label in accordance with the provisions of the National Food Safety Standard General Rules for the Nutrition Labeling of Prepackaged Foods (GB 28050-2011) (except for foods exempted from labeling);

9. Other matters that should be indicated by laws, regulations or food safety standards.

In addition to the general Chinese labeling requirements, what other provisions should be paid special attention to?

According to Article 30 of the Administrative Measures for Import and Export Food Safety, for an imported cold fresh meat product, its inner and outer packaging shall bear a secure, clear, and legible written identification in both Chinese and English, or in Chinese and the language of the export country (region), indicating the following: country or region of origin, name of the product, registration number of the production enterprise, and production lot number; and the outer packaging shall bear the specifications, place of origin (specific to state, province, or city), place of destination, production date, shelf life, storage temperature, and other information in Chinese, and must indicate that the place of destination is the People's Republic of China, and carry the official inspection and quarantine mark of the export country (region).

For an imported aquatic product, its inner and outer packaging shall bear a secure, clear, and legible written identification in both Chinese and English, or in Chinese and the language of the export country (region), indicating the following: name of the goods and scientific name, specifications, production date, lot number, shelf life, and storage conditions, production method (seawater fishing, freshwater fishing, or aquaculture), production area (sea area in the case of ocean fishing, country (region) in the case of freshwater fishing, or country (region) where the aquaculture product originates), the name, registration number, and address (specific to state, province, or city) of each production or processing enterprise involved (including a fishing vessel, processing vessel, transport vessel, or an independent cold store), and the place of destination must be indicated as the People's Republic of China.

Source: Huangpu Customs 12360

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