- All overseas producers, processors and storage facilities of food destined for China must register with the General Administration of Customs (GACC) under Decree 248 — no registration, no import.
所有向中国出口食品的境外生产、加工、贮存企业，均须依据海关总署第 248 号令在海关总署（GACC）注册——无注册，不得进口。- Registration follows two tracks: 18 higher-risk food categories (meat, dairy, aquatic, honey, health food, etc.) are registered via the exporting country’s competent authority (recommendation), while all other foods use the simpler “enterprise self-application” mode.
注册分两条路径：18 类较高风险食品（肉、乳、水产、蜂产品、保健食品等）由出口国主管当局推荐注册；其余食品采用更简便的”企业自行申请”模式。- Decree 249 (Import/Export Food Safety Measures) governs the whole clearance chain: overseas facility registration, importer and exporter record-filing, quarantine approval, inspection, and Chinese labelling.
第 249 号令（进出口食品安全管理办法）管辖整条清关链：境外企业注册、进口商与出口商备案、检疫审批、查验及中文标签。- The GACC registration number must be printed on the Chinese label of imported food — Customs checks the label at clearance, and mismatches or missing numbers cause rejection.
境外生产企业的注册编号须印制在进口食品的中文标签上——海关在清关时查验标签，编号缺失或不符将导致退运。- Since GACC Announcement No. 105 of 2024, overseas exporters can no longer apply for registration directly — they must appoint a China Responsible Agent (CRA) authorized to use the China e-Port key and the upgraded Single Window system.
自海关总署 2024 年第 105 号公告起，境外出口商不得再直接申请注册——须委托获授权使用中国电子口岸密钥及升级版单一窗口系统的境内责任代理人（CRA）办理。- Imported food must meet Chinese food-safety national standards; labels and instructions must be in Chinese, and for health food / foods for special dietary use the Chinese label must be printed on the smallest sales package, not merely stuck on.
进口食品须符合中国食品安全国家标准；标签与说明书须为中文；保健食品、特殊膳食用食品的中文标签须印制在最小销售包装上，不得加贴。- Importers must keep import-and-sale records and audit their overseas suppliers; non-compliant food can be ordered destroyed or returned, and serious breaches can trigger suspension of a facility’s or country’s imports.
进口商须建立进口与销售记录并审核境外供应商；不合格食品可被责令销毁或退运，严重违规可触发对某企业或国家（地区）的暂停进口。
Importing Food into China: GACC overseas-facility registration and Chinese labelling (Decrees 248 & 249) | 食品进口中国：海关总署境外生产企业注册与中文标签（248 号令与 249 号令）
Overview
Food is one of China’s most tightly controlled import categories — and for foreign producers, the gatekeeping starts long before a shipment reaches port. Since 1 January 2022, two General Administration of Customs (GACC) rules have governed the field: Decree 248, the *Regulations on the Registration and Administration of Overseas Producers of Imported Food*, and Decree 249, the *Administrative Measures on Import and Export Food Safety*. Together they require every overseas food facility to register with GACC, set out how imports are inspected and cleared, and mandate Chinese labelling that carries the facility’s registration number.
For a foreign brand or a China-based importer, understanding these rules is the difference between smooth clearance and rejected, destroyed or returned goods. This guide walks through who must register, the two registration tracks, the 2024 change requiring a China Responsible Agent, labelling rules, and the importer’s ongoing obligations — grounded in the official GACC decrees and announcements.
The two pillars: Decree 248 and Decree 249
- Decree 248 — overseas producer registration. All overseas producers, processors and storage facilities of food bound for China must obtain GACC registration. (Producers of food additives and food-related products are excluded.) Registration confirms the facility operates under an equivalent food-safety system, is approved and supervised in its home country, and can meet Chinese standards.
- Decree 249 — import/export food safety. This measure covers the full clearance chain: country-system evaluation, overseas facility registration, importer/exporter record-filing (备案), quarantine approval, document review, on-site inspection, sampling, and labelling. It also empowers Customs to raise inspection rates, suspend or ban imports, and order destruction or return of non-compliant food.
Both took effect 1 January 2022 and were introduced via GACC Announcement No. 103 of 2021.
Two registration tracks
Not all foods are treated alike. Decree 248 splits registration into two paths:
- Competent-authority recommendation (18 categories). For 18 higher-risk food categories, the exporting country’s/region’s competent authority must vet and recommend the facility to GACC. These 18 categories include: meat and meat products, casings, aquatic products, dairy, bird’s nest and its products, bee products, eggs and egg products, edible oils and fats and oilseeds, stuffed wheaten foods, edible grains, grain-milling products and malt, preserved and dehydrated vegetables and dried beans, condiments, nuts and seeds, dried fruit, unroasted coffee and cocoa beans, foods for special dietary uses, and health food.
- Enterprise self-application (all other foods). Facilities producing foods outside the 18 categories may register themselves through GACC’s China International Trade Single Window, using a simpler self-application mode.
GACC calibrates the required materials by food type — considering raw-material origin, processing technology, food-safety history, target consumers and consumption method.
The 2024 change: you now need a CRA
A pivotal change arrived with GACC Announcement No. 105 of 2024: from 5 September 2024, overseas exporters (and, in the self-application track, overseas producers) can no longer submit registration applications directly. They must appoint a China Responsible Agent (CRA / 境内代理人) — a mainland-China company authorized by GACC to use the China e-Port key — to log in to the upgraded Administrative Counterpart Management Subsystem (v3.0) and file on their behalf.
Practically, this means a foreign producer today typically works through a qualified CRA for registration and ongoing filings. Choose the CRA carefully: it becomes your interface with Customs and shares responsibility for the accuracy of submissions.
Chinese labelling — where clearances succeed or fail
Decree 249 sets strict labelling rules, and Customs checks them at the border:
- Packaging, labels and markings must comply with Chinese laws and food-safety national standards; where a manual is legally required, a Chinese-language manual must accompany the product.
- The GACC registration number of the overseas producer must appear on the Chinese label of imported food (per Decree 249) — this is a core clearance check.
- For frozen/chilled meat, inner and outer packaging must carry durable, clear Chinese (or Chinese + exporting-country) markings: country of origin, product name, producer registration number, production batch; the outer package must state specification, origin (to state/province/city), destination, production date, shelf life and storage temperature, and must name the destination as the People’s Republic of China with the official inspection mark.
- For aquatic products, similar detailed markings apply (name and scientific name, specification, production date/batch, shelf life and storage, production method, production area, all producers involved, registration numbers and addresses).
- For health food and foods for special dietary use, the Chinese label must be printed on the smallest sales package — it may not simply be pasted on.
The importer’s ongoing obligations
Registration is not a one-off. Under Decree 249, the food importer must:
- Record-file with the customs office of its domicile (and the overseas exporter/agent must record-file with GACC).
- Maintain an import-and-sale record system (product name, net content/spec, quantity, production date, batch, shelf life, exporter and buyer details, delivery date), kept for at least 6 months beyond shelf life (or 2 years if no shelf life).
- Operate a supplier/overseas-facility audit system, focusing on food-safety risk controls and Chinese-standard conformity.
- Recall and report to Customs any food found non-compliant or potentially harmful.
Customs can raise sampling rates, require batch-by-batch third-party test reports, and — in serious cases — suspend or ban imports from a facility or country.
What to do next
- Confirm your category: is your food in the 18 recommendation categories or the self-application track? Check HS classification via the Single Window.
- Appoint a qualified CRA (mandatory since Sep 2024) and gather registration materials.
- Design compliant Chinese labels early — include the GACC registration number and meet food-safety national standards.
- Record-file the importer and overseas exporter/agent with the relevant customs offices.
- Verify quarantine-approval needs before signing trade contracts (some products need advance approval).
- Build import-and-sale records and a supplier audit into your standard operating procedures.
- Monitor GACC announcements for category-specific requirements and country-level suspensions.
Sources
- GACC Decree No. 248, Regulations on the Registration and Administration of Overseas Producers of Imported Food (2021, effective 1 Jan 2022) — General Administration of Customs: www.customs.gov.cn.
- GACC Decree No. 249, Administrative Measures on Import and Export Food Safety (2021, effective 1 Jan 2022) — www.customs.gov.cn.
- GACC Announcement No. 103 of 2021 on implementation of Decrees 248 and 249 — www.customs.gov.cn.
- GACC Announcement No. 105 of 2024 (China Responsible Agent requirement, effective 5 Sep 2024) — www.customs.gov.cn.
- China International Trade Single Window / Overseas Food Producer Registration System: www.singlewindow.cn; registration query: cifer.singlewindow.cn.
Related reading
- Import-export licensing & customs clearance
- Customs AEO Certification in China
- Two-Step Customs Declaration & the 2025 Declaration Rules Overhaul
食品进口中国：海关总署境外生产企业注册与中文标签（248 号令与 249 号令）
概述
食品是中国管控最严格的进口类别之一——而对境外生产者而言，把关早在货物抵港前就已开始。自 2022 年 1 月 1 日起，两部海关总署（GACC）规章统领该领域：第 248 号令《进口食品境外生产企业注册管理规定》与第 249 号令《进出口食品安全管理办法》。二者共同要求每一家境外食品企业向海关总署注册，规定进口食品如何查验与清关，并强制印有企业注册编号的中文标签。
对外国品牌或境内进口商而言，读懂这些规则，是顺利清关与货物被退运、销毁之间的分野。本指南依据海关总署官方规章与公告，讲解谁须注册、两条注册路径、2024 年新增的境内责任代理人要求、标签规则及进口商的持续义务。
两大支柱：248 号令与 249 号令
- 248 号令——境外生产企业注册。 所有向中国出口食品的境外生产、加工、贮存企业均须取得海关总署注册（食品添加剂、食品相关产品的企业除外）。注册确认企业所在国家（地区）食品安全体系等效、企业依法获批并受监管，且能满足中国标准。
- 249 号令——进出口食品安全。 该办法覆盖整条清关链：国家体系评估、境外企业注册、进口商/出口商备案、检疫审批、单证审核、现场查验、抽检与标签。并授权海关提高查验比例、暂停或禁止进口、责令不合格食品销毁或退运。
二者均于 2022 年 1 月 1 日施行，经海关总署 2021 年第 103 号公告发布实施。
两条注册路径
食品并非一视同仁。248 号令将注册分为两条路径：
- 主管当局推荐（18 类）。 对 18 类较高风险食品，须由出口国（地区）主管当局审核并向海关总署推荐注册。这 18 类包括：肉与肉制品、肠衣、水产品、乳品、燕窝与燕窝制品、蜂产品、蛋与蛋制品、食用油脂和油料、包馅面食、食用谷物、谷物制粉工业产品和麦芽、保鲜和脱水蔬菜以及干豆、调味料、坚果与籽类、干果、未烘焙的咖啡豆与可可豆、特殊膳食食品、保健食品。
- 企业自行申请（其余食品）。 生产 18 类以外食品的企业，可通过海关总署的中国国际贸易单一窗口，以更简便的自行申请模式注册。
海关总署按食品类别校准所需材料——综合考虑原料来源、加工工艺、食品安全历史、消费人群与食用方式。
2024 年变化：现须委托 CRA
一项关键变化随海关总署 2024 年第 105 号公告到来：自 2024 年 9 月 5 日起，境外出口商（在自行申请路径下亦含境外生产者）不得再直接提交注册申请，须委托一家境内责任代理人（CRA/境内代理人）——一家获海关总署授权使用中国电子口岸密钥的中国大陆公司——登录升级后的海关行政相对人统一管理子系统（3.0 版）代为办理。
实务上，这意味着今天的境外生产者通常通过合格 CRA 办理注册与后续报送。CRA 须审慎选择：它是你与海关的接口，并对报送准确性共担责任。
中文标签——清关成败的关键
249 号令设定了严格的标签规则，海关在口岸查验：
- 包装、标签与标识须符合中国法律法规与食品安全国家标准；依法应有说明书的，须附中文说明书。
- 境外生产企业的注册编号须出现在进口食品的中文标签上（依 249 号令）——这是核心清关查验项。
- 对冷冻/冷藏肉类，内外包装须有牢固、清晰的中文（或中文+出口国文字）标识：产地国家、品名、生产企业注册编号、生产批号；外包装须标明规格、产地（具体到州/省/市）、目的地、生产日期、保质期、储存温度，并须标注目的地为中华人民共和国，加施官方检验检疫标识。
- 对水产品，适用类似的详细标识（商品名与学名、规格、生产日期/批号、保质期与保存条件、生产方式、生产地区、所涉全部生产加工企业名称、注册编号及地址）。
- 对保健食品、特殊膳食用食品，中文标签须印制在最小销售包装上，不得加贴。
进口商的持续义务
注册并非一劳永逸。依 249 号令，食品进口商须：
- 向住所地海关备案（境外出口商/代理商亦须向海关总署备案）。
- 建立进口与销售记录制度（食品名称、净含量/规格、数量、生产日期、批号、保质期、出口商与购货者信息、交货日期），保存期限不少于保质期满后 6 个月（无保质期的为销售后 2 年以上）。
- 建立境外出口商/生产企业审核制度，重点关注食品安全风险控制与中国标准符合性。
- 对发现不合格或可能有害的食品，实施召回并向海关报告。
海关可提高抽检比例、要求逐批第三方检验报告，情节严重者可对某企业或国家（地区）暂停或禁止进口。
下一步建议
- 确认类别： 你的食品属于 18 类推荐还是自行申请路径？经单一窗口核对 HS 分类。
- 委托合格 CRA（2024 年 9 月起强制），并备齐注册材料。
- 尽早设计合规中文标签——含 GACC 注册编号，满足食品安全国家标准。
- 为进口商与境外出口商/代理人办理备案（向相关海关）。
- 签约前核实检疫审批需求（部分产品需事先审批）。
- 将进口与销售记录及供应商审核纳入标准作业流程。
- 持续关注海关总署公告，掌握分类专属要求与国家级暂停措施。
来源
- 海关总署第 248 号令《中华人民共和国进口食品境外生产企业注册管理规定》（2021，2022 年 1 月 1 日施行）——海关总署：www.customs.gov.cn。
- 海关总署第 249 号令《中华人民共和国进出口食品安全管理办法》（2021，2022 年 1 月 1 日施行）——www.customs.gov.cn。
- 海关总署 2021 年第 103 号公告（248、249 号令实施相关事宜）——www.customs.gov.cn。
- 海关总署 2024 年第 105 号公告（境内责任代理人 CRA 要求，2024 年 9 月 5 日起）——www.customs.gov.cn。
- 中国国际贸易单一窗口/进口食品境外生产企业注册管理系统：www.singlewindow.cn；注册信息查询：cifer.singlewindow.cn。
相关阅读
- 进出口许可与海关清关
- 中国海关 AEO 认证
- 进口货物”两步申报”全面推广与申报管理规定修订