Are you looking to import or export food in or out of Asian countries? Well, it does not have to be complicated. You only need to comply with the food regulatory systems to ensure that all the items are safe for consumption. If you fail to comply with these set regulations, your imports will be returned or destroyed. This will result in losses for both importing and exporting companies. So how do you do this? Let’s explore how you can import and export Asian food into the region.
Acquire an Import License or Permit
To start the process, you need to acquire your import or export license or permits in advance. Depending on the country you wish to import the food, you will find that each has different food safety standards, and you must comply with all of them. Most countries have an agency that will issue all the licenses and import food into the country. For example, if you will be importing fresh foods into the Asian country like meat, seafood, table eggs, fruits, or vegetables, you need to get a license from the relevant authorities. The license gives you legal permission to import foods into the country. Additionally, there are a few other documents that you may need to get full access for the imports. Ensure that you get all the certifications and documents before you get your import/export ready.
Get your Import/Export Ready
In order for your food import process to go smooth you need to make sure that you have all the necessary licenses and permits in your possession. Read through the permits and get to know what is required from your end. Your significant priorities will be knowing and understanding your food product classification, complying with the relevant food legislation, labelling the foods correctly and all the conditions for particular food types. Before you ship the products, you will provide details for the quality, quarantine, origin, and import control. On the packaging list, you should include a description of the packaging material. All these documents will be reviewed after your import gets to your country.
Every country has particular terms and requirements, and you must comply with them before bringing any item in. The authenticity of the documents is also a crucial thing in boosting the speed and preventing delay and prolonged storage costs. Get a commercial invoice, bill of lading, certificate of bottling date (for drinks and beverages), samples for original label and inspection certificates.
Get Ready for Customs Inspection
The importation rules are different for each country or jurisdiction. If you are importing or exporting the food for the first time, you must be ready for inspections by the Customs Authorities before the products can be released to you. Depending on the products, you may have to acquire health certifications. Some of these products, such as cereals, coconut milk, and mineral water, need you to provide additional documents. Even more, the authorities may require you to perform a sample test when the products arrive at the borders. Once your products have passed all the required tests, you will get a clearance certificate for all the shipments.
What if the goods have incomplete documentation?
In case your shipment misses any documents, and the Customs take it, you may need to provide them with all the missing records to verify. Some of these documents include business licenses, importing licenses, quota certificates, safety compliance declaration, and introducing the company.
What if the goods fail customs clearance and inspection?
If the imported food fails the required customs clearance and inspection, your products will undergo technical treatment under a superior authority’s supervision. They will then get re-inspected and get a Returns Handling Notice. The importer must return the product to the exporter, failure to this, the goods will be destroyed.
Prepare for the Sale
With all the documentation and the labels ready for the products, your products are ready for the market. As you create the labels, you should have your end customer in mind. While making the labels, you should have the name or description of the food, statement of ingredients, net quantity of food in the package, name and address of the local food business, as well as the country of origin. You are ready for the importation. Go forth and make a kill.
The Steps in a Nutshell
This section puts in all the steps that you must follow when getting ready for imports and exports. With the many opportunities to supply Asian food, you should take advantage of the markets and enter the market. While it may be hard for first-time importers, it gets easier with time.
• Food entering the country
• Declaration of the inspection
• Declaration of the customs
• Payment of the taxes
• Inspections from the customs
• Clearance from the customs
• Inspection of the samples and auditing of the labels
• Issuance of the health and sanitary certifications
