China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and the Ministry of Commerce have jointly issued a new announcement strengthening recall requirements for food sold through cross-border e-commerce retail channels. The regulation requires cross-border e-commerce enterprises to appoint a domestic food production enterprise to handle recall operations in China. When quality safety risks are identified, enterprises must immediately stop sales, notify the designated domestic entity to recall sold products, and report to market regulators.

E-commerce platforms must supervise compliance and may suspend services for non-cooperative sellers. The measures apply to all food imported via cross-border e-commerce, including products from New Zealand.

中国国家市场监督管理总局和商务部联合发布新公告，加强跨境电商零售进口食品的召回监管。规定要求跨境电商企业委托一家境内食品生产经营企业开展召回工作。发现质量安全风险时，企业须立即停止销售，通知受委托企业召回已售产品，并向市场监管部门报告。电商平台须监督合规，对不配合的卖家可暂停服务。该措施适用于所有通过跨境电商进口的食品，包括来自新西兰的产品。

This new regulation has direct implications for NZ food brands selling through Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms like Tmall Global, JD Worldwide, and Kaola. The requirement to appoint a domestic recall agent means NZ exporters need to establish relationships with Chinese food companies willing to serve this role. While the regulation adds compliance burden, it also provides clarity that was previously lacking.

NZ food exporters using cross-border channels should: identify and formalise a recall partnership with a Chinese entity, review their quality assurance processes to minimise recall risk, and ensure their platform listings include proper Chinese labelling. The regulation signals China’s continued tightening of food safety oversight across all import channels, reinforcing the importance of proactive compliance.

这项新规对通过天猫国际、京东全球购、考拉海购等中国跨境电商平台销售的新西兰食品品牌有直接影响。要求指定境内召回代理意味着新西兰出口商需要与中国食品企业建立合作关系。虽然增加了合规负担，但也提供了此前缺乏的明确性。使用跨境电商渠道的新西兰食品出口商应：识别并正式确立与中国实体的召回合作关系，审查质量保证流程以降低召回风险，确保平台列表包含规范的中文标签。该法规表明中国持续加强所有进口渠道的食品安全监管，强调了主动合规的重要性。

Photo by AI on MiDeer Observer

Source: State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) / Ministry of Commerce

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