Purpose

The purpose of this guide is to provide general guidance for local food manufacturers who wish to register with the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China ("the GACC") for the export of the specified 17 categories of food products to the Mainland in accordance with the Decree of the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China No. 280 《Administrative Provisions of the Customs of the People's Republic of China on Registration of Overseas Manufacturers for Export of Food to China》. According to the GACC Announcement No. 27 of 2026, the 17 categories of food products include meat and meat products, casings, bird's nests and bird's nest products, bee products, eggs and egg products, edible fats and oils, stuffed wheaten food, edible grains, grain flour and malt, dehydrated vegetables, seasoning powder, nuts and seeds, dried fruits, special dietary foods, health foods/dietary supplements, dairy products and aquatic products. This Department will handle cases of food products which are under our purview.

Application Criteria

2.   This Department will assess the eligibility of an applicant, i.e. food manufacturer, for recommendation to the GACC on its registration. An application must meet the following basic criteria:

• The applicant must hold a valid food factory licence issued by this Department for the manufacture and processing of the relevant food product;

• A food safety management system with relevant certification (such as ISO 22000 certification) must be in place in the food factory concerned. The scope of the food safety management system must include but not limited to raw material control, production process control, food quality control and product traceability control;

• The GACC has confirmed that the food product can be exported to the Mainland; and

• The food product must comply with the national standard of the People's Republic of China.

Submission of Application

Online Application

3.  Food manufacturers who have opened user accounts in the Food Trader Portal (FTP) may submit applications for Recommendation on Food Manufacturer Registration at the FTP website: (www.ftp.cfs.gov.hk).

Paper Mode Application

4.  The applicant must submit a completed application form (FEHB 333) together with the required documents to the Centre for Food Safety of this Department at 43/F, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong by post or email (fsc@fehd.gov.hk).

5.   As to the certificate, together with the relevant test reports issued by a recognised institute certifying that the food product complies with the national standard of the People's Republic of China, the applicant may make reference to the Hong Kong Laboratory Accreditation Scheme ("HOKLAS") for organisations and laboratories accredited for food testing services.  The applicant may also consider other organisations and laboratories which are Mutual Recognition Agreement partners of HOKLAS, such as the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS).

Application Fee

6.   The fee for each application is HK$9,331 and is non-refundable regardless of whether the recommended registration is ultimately accepted by the GACC or not.

Notes for Attention

7.   The applicant should pay attention to the following:

• In addition to the required information and documents, this Department may require the applicant to provide other supplementary information and documents depending on individual circumstances.
• If the information and/or documents provided by the applicant are insufficient, this Department may suspend processing of the application until the applicant has provided all the required information and documents.
• If all the required information and documents provided by the applicant have met the registration requirements and the application fee has been paid, the recommendation on registration may be completed within 21 working days.
• Acceptance of the recommendation on registration is entirely at the discretion of the GACC.
• If the recommendation on registration is accepted by the GACC, the applicant must ensure that each consignment of the food product exported to the Mainland complies with the relevant laws and requirements there.

Enquiries

8. For enquiries, please contact the Export Arrangement and System Management Unit of this Department (Tel.: 3108 2755; Fax: 3108 2719; Email: easm_enquiry@fehd.gov.hk).

Centre for Food Safety
Food and Environmental Hygiene Department