In September 2026, Customs Nationwide Detected 546 Batches of Food Refused Entry, with Label Non-Compliance Ranking First

Foodmate Network News, October 20: The General Administration of Customs released information on food and cosmetics refused entry nationwide in September 2026. In September 2026, customs across the country detected 546 batches of food and 15 batches of cosmetics that failed safety, hygiene and other items during port supervision and were refused entry.

In terms of origin, the food refused entry in September came from Ecuador, the United States, Russia, Pakistan, India, Italy, Japan, Brazil, South Korea, China (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan), Thailand, Norway, Greece, Vietnam, Indonesia, France, Chile, the Philippines, Malaysia, Spain, Australia, Belarus, Canada, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Germany, Uzbekistan, Singapore, Senegal, Denmark, Austria, Peru, Colombia, Mauritania, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico and other countries or regions. Among them, Ecuador had the largest quantity of refused food, with 105 batches, all shrimp products, including 104 batches of frozen South American white shrimp and 1 batch of frozen South American white prawn; followed by the United States with 100 batches and Russia with 33 batches.

The main reasons for the non-compliance of food refused entry in September were label non-compliance, food additive issues, pesticide and veterinary drug residue issues, mismatch between goods and certificates, sensory inspection failure, detection of animal diseases, products not approved for entry, failure to provide certificates or compliance documents as required, registration issues of overseas food manufacturers, filth and spoilage, exceeding the shelf life, detection of unapproved genetically modified ingredients, quality indicator issues, microbial contamination, use of unapproved novel food ingredients, heavy metal contamination, moldy products, and illegal addition of non-food substances. In addition, some food items had other issues detected (the original seal had been broken before inspection began, making it impossible to confirm whether it was the original seal; dihydroquercetin did not meet regulations; shelf life did not comply with national food safety standards; non-compliant packaging, etc.). Among them, label non-compliance ranked first with 125 batches; followed by food additive issues with 105 batches and pesticide and veterinary drug residue issues with 52 batches.

The ports of entry for these refused food items involved Shenzhen, Tianjin, Shanghai, Zhanjiang, Guangzhou, Harbin, Nanning, Haikou, Qingdao, Ningbo, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Huangpu, Urumqi, Dalian, Nanjing, Chengdu, Hefei, Shantou, Changsha, Xi'an, Jiangmen and Wuhan. Among them, Shenzhen port detected 132 batches, ranking first; followed by Tianjin with 88 batches and Shanghai with 84 batches.

The food refused entry in September showed an obvious characteristic of category clustering: aquatic products were mainly Ecuadorian frozen South American white shrimp and marine fish from India and Pakistan, with risks concentrated in sodium metabisulfite residues, animal diseases and entry qualification; poultry meat and its products were mainly US frozen heated cooked chicken feet (uniform grade) and frozen cooked chicken feet, with risks concentrated in sensory quality, veterinary drug residues (nitrofurazone metabolites, melengestrol acetate) and label compliance; honey was mainly Russian honey, with the risk of chloramphenicol residues; chilled aquatic products were mainly Norwegian chilled Atlantic salmon, with risks in cold chain and sensory quality; oils and seasonings were mainly Greek flavored virgin olive oil, Italian mushroom sauce and wine, and Indian cumin powder, with risks of label non-compliance and additive use; alcoholic beverages and drinks were mainly Japanese craft beer and sake, with risks of exceeding shelf life and missing certificates; beef and beef by-products were mainly Brazilian frozen boneless beef and US chilled beef, with risks of mismatch between goods and certificates, abnormal seal markings and filth and spoilage.

The General Administration of Customs stated that these refused food items did not comply with national food safety standards or relevant laws and regulations at the time of import inspection, and all were returned or destroyed in accordance with the law.

Foodmate Network reminds consumers that when purchasing imported food, they should check whether the Chinese label is complete and standard, pay attention to product shelf life and storage conditions, and purchase imported food through proper channels to ensure food safety; importers need to strengthen source control of products in terms of registration of overseas manufacturers, pesticide and veterinary drug residues, use of food additives, entry approval of novel food ingredients, label compliance, sensory quality and genetically modified ingredients.

Related report: Information on food and cosmetics refused entry nationwide in September 2026

Attachment 1: Information on food refused entry nationwide in September 2026.pdf

Attachment 2: Information on cosmetics refused entry nationwide in September 2026.pdf

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