It was confirmed that many products from Korea-based food companies, including CJ CheilJedang and Sajo Daerim, were included on the list of foods barred from entry in March released by China's General Administration of Customs. China is revising regulations on registration management for overseas production of imported foods and is also pushing for Korea-China cooperation on food safety. Industry observers say compliance with local rules such as registration and customs clearance management will become more important in the process of exporting K-food.
On the 25th, according to the "Information on foods not permitted to enter in March 2026" released last month by China's General Administration of Customs, 7,200 kg of seasoning product (鲜味调味膏) produced at CJ CheilJedang's Busan Plant was categorized as barred from entry. The product's country of origin is Korea, and the manufacturer is listed as "CJ Cheiljedang Corp. Busan Plant." The reason for barring entry was an issue with registration of the overseas food manufacturer.
A CJ CheilJedang official said, "The product in question is the beef Dashida product, and it was a case where there was a difference of opinion within Chinese customs over the item classification criteria," adding, "At the time, Haidian Customs told us to register it as other foods, but Haizhongyang Customs, which was in charge of imports, told us to register it as other seasonings, which caused the issue." The official added, "We subsequently changed and registered the item classification in line with Chinese customs guidelines, and we are now exporting normally."
The General Administration of Customs is the agency that oversees China's tariff, customs clearance, and quarantine operations. It is also responsible for inspection of imported foods and customs clearance management. The "information on foods not permitted to enter" announced by this agency is a monthly list of foods barred from entry, including products that fail to meet national standards or relevant regulations. Products on the list are returned or destroyed in accordance with the law. However, being listed as not permitted to enter does not mean a complete suspension of the corporation's exports to China. This is because restrictions apply to individual shipment units, and exports can resume after follow-up procedures.
In addition to CJ CheilJedang, products from other Korea-based food companies were included on this list. Unlike CJ CheilJedang, their entry was barred due to noncompliance with food additive standards. Sajo Daerim, a comprehensive food company, had its spicy fish cake skewers (105 kg) barred for noncompliance with standards for glycine, vitamin B1, and sulfates. Enssell, a fusion frozen tteok brand, had its cheese-flavored and sweet potato–flavored rice snacks (6,600 kg and 240 kg, respectively) barred for noncompliance with standards for sorbitol (sweetener and humectant), and Sungshin B&F's cream-flavored bungeo-ppang (96 kg) was barred for noncompliance with standards for calcium stearoyl lactylate and gardenia yellow.
Dongbang Food Master's compound seasoning (20 kg) was also restricted for entry due to noncompliance with standards for thiamine lauryl sulfate. In addition, Pirus's plant solid beverage (48 kg) and COSMAX Bio's sugar-free red ginseng jelly (1 kg) were included on the list due to label noncompliance.
China is one of the core markets for K-food. According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), Korea's exports of agricultural and food products to China last year were tallied at $1.58 billion (about 2.3805 trillion won), up 5.1% from the previous year.
Against this backdrop, China recently revised its regulations on registration management for overseas production corporations of imported foods. It strengthened source control by refining procedures for registration, extension, and supervision. The revised regulations are scheduled to take effect on Jun. 1.
Industry observers believe that responsiveness to local rules—such as production corporation registration, customs clearance documents, and evidence management—will become more important. A food industry official said, "China has always been a market that scrutinizes registration and customs clearance procedures for imported foods," adding, "As K-food exports expand, there is a growing emphasis not only on taste and product competitiveness but also on capabilities in registration, certification, and customs clearance."
Kim Tae-hwang, a professor in the Department of International Trade at Myongji University, said, "China is a market where there is room to use hygiene and quarantine procedures as non-tariff barriers in the food sector," adding, "The larger the share of K-food exports in a market, the more important registration, documentation, and customs clearance systems and management inevitably become."
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and China's General Administration of Customs signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on "food safety cooperation" early this year and agreed to push for simplifying the China export registration process for Korea-based food corporations. The process will shift from individual applications to batch requests by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The registration period is also expected to be shortened from the current two to three months to about 10 to 14 days.
Lee Eun-hee, a professor in the Department of Consumer Science at Inha University, said, "Even if the registration process for Korea-based food corporations exporting to China is streamlined, follow-up government support and corporate training must go hand in hand to ensure it takes effect on the ground," adding, "A response system that manages local regulations and risks together is also necessary."
A Ministry of Food and Drug Safety official said, "Because noncompliance can occur due to differences in standards between countries, we plan to expand and provide information on export-country standard specifications to 50 items in 30 countries this year," adding, "We will do our best by discussing harmonization of standards with regulatory authorities overseas, including China."