China’s Bureau of Import and Export Food Safety, part of the General Administration of Customs, has announced a significant change in its import regulations. Effective immediately, frozen fruits will no longer be subject to quarantine access management under the “National Food Catalogues of Traditional Trade & Meet the Requirements of Export to China” system.
Industry sources have confirmed that the importation of frozen fruits into China is now fully open. This means that frozen fruits from any country can enter the Chinese market without undergoing the previously required quarantine procedures.
The recent update to China’s import catalog reflects this change by removing the category of frozen fruits. For instance, a search for “frozen durian” on the catalog’s online query system returns no results, signaling that frozen durians, as well as other frozen fruits, can now be imported without restrictions.
According to the General Administration of Customs, frozen fruits are defined as fruits that have had inedible peels and seeds removed, are flash frozen at minus 18 degrees Celsius or lower for at least 30 minutes, and are kept at temperatures below minus 18 degrees Celsius throughout storage and transportation, in line with the “Code of Practice for the Processing and Handling of Quick Frozen Foods” (CAC/RCP 8-1976).
Despite the removal of quarantine requirements, exporting countries must ensure that their processing plants and quick-freezing facilities are registered with the relevant authorities. This registration must be submitted to the General Administration of Customs for approval, and both quick freezing and refrigerated transportation processes must be conducted under official supervision in the exporting country.