Food & Medicine Import New Regulations

Attention Importers of Spices and Food Products! This New Regulation Can Save You Significant Time and Costs

Hello everyone! Attention to those in the imported food and spice business — I have some great news to share! Starting January 1, 2026, a group of familiar “food-medicine dual-use” commodities — items that serve as both food ingredients and traditional medicine — will see accelerated customs clearance for import!

According to the latest joint announcement by four government departments including the General Administration of Customs, 30 food-and-medicine substances have been included in a pilot program for “classified import supervision.” What exactly is on the list? Common kitchen and food factory ingredients such as clove, star anise, fennel, turmeric, cardamom, nutmeg, as well as familiar items like licorice and goji berries.

What is the biggest change brought by this policy? Simply put, it is “classified management, differentiated treatment.” Going forward, when importing any of these 30 listed commodities, as long as you clearly declare at the time of filing that they are intended for non-medicinal purposes such as food or spices, you will no longer need to go through the complex and time-consuming process of obtaining the “Import Drug Clearance Certificate.” Customs will release the goods directly under the regulatory requirements for ordinary food products. For relevant businesses, this means simpler procedures, significantly shorter clearance times, and reduced costs — a genuine boost in efficiency and cost savings.

However, there is a critically important detail you must pay attention to: the prerequisite for “classified supervision” is that your goods are genuinely “non-medicinal.” If your goods are indeed intended for pharmaceutical production, you must still strictly follow all pharmaceutical import regulations and complete every required procedure without exception. Therefore, accuracy in your declaration is paramount.

This policy was announced last December and officially took effect at the beginning of this year. Its core objective is to optimize the business environment and provide convenience to law-abiding import and export enterprises. So, if you are a practitioner in the relevant industry, I recommend you visit the official website of the General Administration of Customs right away, find “Announcement No. 237 of 2025,” and download the annex, which contains the complete list of all 30 substances and detailed implementation requirements. Check it thoroughly, plan ahead, and put this policy dividend to real use in your business.

A small policy change can bring major business convenience. I hope this information helps you! I’m Lao Tao from Vortrich International Logistics — see you next time!

Detailed Analysis

This article provides a deeper analysis based on the video content.

Attention Importers of Spices and Food Products! This New Regulation Can Save You Significant Time and Costs

Hello everyone! Attention to those in the imported food and spice business — I have some great news to share! Starting January 1, 2026, a group of familiar “food-medicine dual-use” commodities — items that serve as both food ingredients and traditional medicine — will see accelerated customs clearance for import!

According to the latest joint announcement by four government departments including the General Administration of Customs, 30 food-and-medicine substances have been included in a pilot program for “classified import supervision.” What exactly is on the list? Common kitchen and food factory ingredients such as clove, star anise, fennel, turmeric, cardamom, nutmeg, as well as familiar items like licorice and goji berries.

What is the biggest change brought by this policy? Simply put, it is “classified management, differentiated treatment.” Going forward, when importing any of these 30 listed commodities, as long as you clearly declare at the time of filing that they are intended for non-medicinal purposes such as food or spices, you will no longer need to go through the complex and time-consuming process of obtaining the “Import Drug Clearance Certificate.” Customs will release the goods directly under the regulatory requirements for ordinary food products. For relevant businesses, this means simpler procedures, significantly shorter clearance times, and reduced costs — a genuine boost in efficiency and cost savings.

However, there is a critically important detail you must pay attention to: the prerequisite for “classified supervision” is that your goods are genuinely “non-medicinal.” If your goods are indeed intended for pharmaceutical production, you must still strictly follow all pharmaceutical import regulations and complete every required procedure without exception. Therefore, accuracy in your declaration is paramount.

This policy was announced last December and officially took effect at the beginning of this year. Its core objective is to optimize the business environment and provide convenience to law-abiding import and export enterprises. So, if you are a practitioner in the relevant industry, I recommend you visit the official website of the General Administration of Customs right away, find “Announcement No. 237 of 2025,” and download the annex, which contains the complete list of all 30 substances and detailed implementation requirements. Check it thoroughly, plan ahead, and put this policy dividend to real use in your business.

A small policy change can bring major business convenience. I hope this information helps you! I’m Lao Tao from Vortrich International Logistics — see you next time!

Summary

The above is a detailed introduction to the new regulations on food-medicine dual-use commodity imports. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Vortrich International Freight for consultation.