About Ten Daily Shipments to China Never Arrive

WASHINGTON, DC – On average, Chinese inspectors turn away around 10 foreign food shipments every day for a variety of reasons including failure to provide proper documentation, failure to meet labeling requirements, and obvious damage or sanitation issues. The United States found an average of more than 200 shipments were denied between 2013 and 2019, while the European Union lost more than three times that amount (740) every year. Research conducted by USDA’s Economic Research Service shows China is more likely to reject consumer-ready packaged items such as baking products, snacks, health food, wine, and other beverages. Since the EU is the leading supplier of food imports to China, it makes sense that they would face more rejections. But the ERS research also found the rate at which the U.S. lost shipments were far more prevalent on an average basis. Overall, consumer-ready products tend to be rejected more often than products shipped in bulk such as powdered milk, canola, fresh fruit, and vegetable oil.
(SOURCE: All Ag News)