UPDATED 12/20/2021

In April 2021, the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) announced new registration requirements for facilities providing food for export to China, effective January 1, 2022. These requirements, described in China’s Decree 248, will affect facilities that manufacture, process, or store food products exported to China.

On December 6, 2021, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it is requesting U.S. facilities providing food for export to China submit information to accommodate China’s new facility registration requirements for food producers. FDA’s request for information corresponds with China’s Decree 248, which requires that the appropriate authority in each exporting country facilitate registration of exported products in the following categories:

1. Meat and meat products
2. Aquatic products
3. Dairy products
4. Bird nests and bird nest products
5. Casings
6. Bee products
7. Eggs and egg products
8. Edible oils and fats
9. Stuffed wheaten products
10. Edible grains
11. Milled grain industry products and malt
12. Fresh and dehydrated vegetables and dried beans
13. Condiments
14. Nuts and seeds
15. Dried fruits
16. Unroasted coffee beans and cocoa beans
17. Foods for special dietary purposes
18. Functional food

How do you know if you should submit an application? Continue reading for details.

Here’s What Food Producers Should Know:

• Facilities must comply with Decree 248 in order to ship on/after Jan 1, 2022.
• Facilities must register and print the registration number on the inner and outer packaging of food offered for export toFor food producers whose products belong to categories 1-18 listed above, the FDA registration deadline for shipping to China between January 1 and March 31, 2022 was December 17. The next deadline to register is March 31, 2022. This will allow companies the ability to ship after March 31.
• For food producers whose products fall outside categories 1-19, GACC has created a system for self-registration. Registration can be submitted in English or Chinese. However, GACC recommends submitting in Chinese to obtain registration faster. If your products fall outside of categories 1-18, Registrar Corp can help you submit for registration in Chinese.
• For facilities exporting to China for the first time ever, GACC must conduct an assessment and review of food safety systems to determine inspection and quarantine requirements before the exporter can file for registration with FDA/ GACC.

Is FDA Requesting Information from Your Facility?

If your facility currently exports food products to China, you should identify the category for each of your exported food products to determine whether you should submit information to FDA.

Facilities that do not need to currently take action:

• Current registrations of overseas production facilities for meat and meat products
• Aquatic products
• Dairy products
• Bird’s nest and bird’s nest products

Facilities that need to currently take action:

• If you currently produce food exported to China that falls into categories 5-18, you should submit an application to allow FDA to facilitate your registration with China.
• Facilities that export products outside of categories 1-18 must also comply with the January 1, 2022 deadline.