Purpose

The purpose of this guide is to provide general guidance to local food manufacturers in Hong Kong who intend to export food products manufactured in Hong Kong to Mainland China and require to apply for the "Health Certificate for Foods of Animal Origin" or "Food Inspection Certificate" in order to comply with the requirements under the "Cooperation Agreement on the Supervision of Safety and Facilitation of Customs Clearance of Food Products Manufactured in Hong Kong Exported to the Mainland". Eligible food products undergoing customs clearance at Mainland ports, which require on-site inspection and sampling, will be released directly after sampling without waiting for the test results if the on-site inspection result is satisfactory to the Mainland customs.

Available Ports on the Mainland

The arrangements will be available at the ports under Shenzhen Customs, Gongbei Customs and Huangpu Customs.

Application Criteria

A food manufacturer should hold a valid Advance Release Permission issued by this Department.

Application Procedures

The application procedures for the two certificates used in the Advance Release Arrangement are generally the same as the current application procedures. For details, please refer to the relevant information on our website regarding the “Health Certificate for Foods of Animal Origin” or “Food Inspection Certificate”.

Notes for Attention

  1. To comply with the food testing requirements for the Advance Release Arrangement, food manufacturers may be required to submit test certificates with relevant test reports issued by recognised third-party institutes when applying for the certificates, in order to certify that the food products comply with the national standards of the People's Republic of China. Food manufacturers may refer to institutions and laboratories accredited under the Hong Kong Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (HOKLAS) for food testing services. Food manufacturers may also consider other institutions and laboratories of the HOKLAS’s Mutual Recognition Arrangement Partners such as the “China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment” (CNAS). This department will notify food manufacturers of the sampling and testing requirements for relevant food items if necessary. Food manufacturers are required to make appropriate arrangements to facilitate the supervision of the sampling process by this department.
  2. In addition to "Health Certificate for Foods of Animal Origin" or "Food Inspection Certificate", food manufacturers must ensure that each consignment of the food product exported to the Mainland through the Advance Release Arrangement:
    1. is accompanied by a “Certificate of Hong Kong Origin - CEPA” [Apply separately with the Trade and Industry Department or Government Approved Certification Organisations]; and
    2. complies with relevant laws and requirements on the Mainland, including the requirement that the minimum package of the product bears a Chinese label.
  3. Food manufacturers should pay attention to the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC) Decree No. 248 《Regulations of the People's Republic of China on the Registration and Administration of Overseas Manufacturers of Imported Food》which requires all overseas food manufacturers (including food factories in Hong Kong) that export foods to Mainland China to register with the GACC.
  4. Whether the Advance Release Arrangement is applicable to individual food consignments during customs clearance at the ports on the Mainland is the decision of the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China.

Enquiries

For enquiries on “Health Certificate for Foods of Animal Origin”, please contact the Veterinary Public Health Section (Tel: 2867 5428) of this Department during office hours. Enquiries may also be sent to this Department by fax on 2521 8067 or email to vphadmin@fehd.gov.hk

For enquiries on “Food Inspection Certificate”, please contact the Food Import & Export Section (Tel: 2867 5560) of this Department during office hours. Enquiries may also be sent to this Department by fax on 2521 4784 or email to fsc@fehd.gov.hk

Centre for Food Safety
Food and Environmental Hygiene Department