Filipino food exporters are advised to comply with China’s new registration requirements which took effect on January 1 to continue to trade smoothly with the huge market.
Ana GM Abejuela, agriculture counsellor of the Embassy of the Philippines in Beijing, said the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) issued last April 12, 2021 Decree 248 stipulating the regulations on the registration and administration of overseas producers of imported food.
Abejuela said such a decree expands the scope of registration to include all food manufacturers, processors, and storage facilities; while product scope includes all food products except food additives as well as food-related products.
She said registration is through the exporting country competent authority and self-registration.
“What would be the implication if we cannot comply with the requirements of [Decree] 248? I think it’s simple: no registration, then no trade, that is why, this is very, very important [to comply],” she added in a webinar.
Abejuela said product categories to be registered through the competent authority include meat and meat products, casings, aquatic products, dairy products, bird nest and bird nest products, bee products, egg and egg products, edible oils and fats, stuffed pastry products, edible grains, milled grain industry products and malt, fresh and dehydrated vegetables and dried beans, condiments, nuts and seeds, dried fruits, unroasted coffee and cacao beans, foods for special dairy purposes, and food supplements.
She said manufacturers, processors, and storage facilities of foods other than these product groups are required to register directly with GACC, either on their own behalf or through a private agent at https://cifer.single.window.cn.
Abejuela said the new regulation modifies and expands the conditions and procedures for registration as stated in Chapter II of the regulation. This includes the additional requirement that the food safety management system of the exporting country has passed GACC’s equivalence assessment or review.
Under the new regulation, she said registered overseas facilities are required to include the Chinese registration number or the registration number approved by the exporting country competent authority on both the inner and outer packaging of food products exported to China.
“The registration of overseas facilities completed before the implementation of Decree 248 will remain valid. After the expiration of the validity period of these registrations, the relevant manufacturers/facilities shall be managed in accordance with the new regulations,” she added.
Abejuela said products with existing signed protocols/agreements are not covered by Decree 248.
Decree 249, the administrative measures on import and export food safety, focuses more on ensuring safety of food imported into China, she said.
It covers an extensive range of requirements including evaluation and review of foreign food safety systems; overseas facilities registration; record filing by importers and exporters, and commercial agents; quarantine and inspection; product labeling; and food safety risk alerts, Abejuela said.
“The decree stresses that producers and operators are accountable for the safety of the food products they produce and handle,” she said, adding it requires food importers to establish a system for review of their suppliers, overseas exporters, and production facilities.
Abejuela said Decree 249 introduces the concept of a conformity assessment covering the evaluation of foreign food safety management systems, the registration of overseas food export facilities, and required record filing by importers and exporters.
Tanya Kristine Martirez, food-drug regulation officer II of the Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Regulation and Research, said exporters or companies who do not comply with Decrees 248 and 249 will not have a GACC registration.
“If you do not have GACC registration, you will not be able to export your food products to China,” she said.
Martirez said companies must ensure compliance with China’s food safety regulation.
She cited the country’s Republic Act (RA) 10611, otherwise known as the “Food Safety Act of 2013,” wherein the companies should be responsible for the quality of their products and their goods must comply with the prescribed standards.
Martirez said additional policy such as Administrative Order 2014-0029 wherein for products intended for exports, the requirements of the country of destination shall be followed.
“Thus, it is the exporters’ responsibility to know and comply with the requirements of their export market. There are many regulations that are not required in the Philippines but are required abroad, that is why it is important for the exporters to know what the standards are or what are required of them by the export destination,” she added.
Department of Trade and Industry-Trade Promotions Group Undersecretary Abdulgani Macatoman underscored the importance of Philippine compliance with these GACC decrees and capacitating exporters to comply with these regulations.
Macatoman said China is one of the Philippines most important trading partners being the top source of imports and third export market.
“If implemented, Decree 248 will affect $759 million or 7.73 percent of our total exports to China and 624 Philippine exporters. Likewise, Decree 249 will affect $45.56 million or .46 percent worth of Philippine exports to China and 160 Philippine exporters,” he added.