General Administration of Customs,the People’s Republic of China Notification
Hereby notify.
Appendix: Inspection and Quarantine Requirements for ImportedAlbanian Honey
General Administration of Customs
March 31,2021
Appendix
Inspection and Quarantine Requirements for ImportedAlbanian Honey
I. Basis of Inspection and Quarantine
(I) Laws, Regulations and Departmental Rules
The Food Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China and its implementing regulations, theQuarantine Law of the People’s Republic of China on Entry and Exit Animals and Plants and its implementing regulations, the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Import and Export Commodity Inspection and its implementing regulations, the Special Provisions of the State Council on Strengthening the Supervision and Administration of Food and Other Products Safety, and the AdministrativeMeasures on Import and Export Food Safety, the Regulations on Registration Management of Imported Food Overseas Manufacturers, etc.
(II) Bilateral Protocols
Protocol of Inspection, Quarantine and Sanitation Requirements for Albanian Honey Exported to China between the General Administration of Customs, the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Republic of Albania
II.Import Allowed Products
The import allowedAlbanian honey refers to a fully brewed natural sweet substance by mixing nectar, secretion or honeydew collected by bees from plants with bees’ secretions.
III. Requirements for Manufacturers
Albanian honey manufacturers shall meet the requirements of the relevant veterinary health and public health regulations of China and Albania, and be registered inChina.
IV. Requirements for Inspection and Quarantine
(I) Requirement for Honey Source
1. The honey shall come from a beekeeping farm located in the Republic of Albania, and the beekeeping farm shall be registered bythe local competent authority and be under effective supervision.
2. Nectar, secretions or honeydew collected by bees from plants shall be safe and non-toxic, and shall not be derived from toxichoney-derived plants or genetically modified plants.
3. Within 6 months, there shall be no mead larva rot disease and European bee larva rot disease within a radius of 5 km around the beekeeping farm.
4. Quarantine requirements for Varroa destructor: this batch of honey shall comefrom the beekeeping farm in the area withoutVarroa destructor; or has been filtered with the filter screen withthe pore size ofless than 0.42mm; or has been treated at a central temperature above 50 ℃ for at least 20 minutes or the central temperature not higher than-12 ℃ for at least 24 hours to ensure Varroa destructor is killed, and necessary measures shall be taken to remove the mites residue effectively.
(2) Requirements for Imported Honey
1. Beekeeping farms that produce honey exported to Chinashall never use veterinary drugs banned in China or Albania.
2. Thehoney exported to Chinashall come from manufacturers with an established traceability systemto ensure that importedhoney can be traced back to the beekeeping farm.
3. The residues of veterinary drugs, pesticides, microorganisms, heavy metals and other environmental contaminations shall not exceed the maximum limits of China and Albania.
4. Thehoney exported to China shallconform to hygiene and safety standards, suitable for human consumption.
V. Requirements for Packaging
1. Albanian honeyexported to China must be packaged with food contact materials that meet China’sfood safety standards.
2. The packaging shall be sealed and shall be marked in Chinese with the name of product, the specification of product, the place of origin (state/province/city), registration number of manufacturer, batch number, the destination (destination shall be marked as the People’s Republic of China), date of manufacture (year/month/day), and shelf life.
3. Prepackaged honeyexported to China should also meet the requirements of China’s laws, regulations and standards on prepackaged food labels.
VI. Certificate Requirements
Each container ofhoney exported to Chinashall be accompanied by at least one official original health certificate issued by the competent authority certifying that it meets the inspection and quarantine requirements of China and Albania.
VII. Storage and Transportation Requirements
1. The whole process from packaging, storage to transportation ofhoney exported to China shall conform to the relevant sanitary requirements of China and Albania to prevent contamination of harmful substances.
2. There shall be a separate finished product storageor a special area for storing honey exported to Chinawhich shall be clearly marked.
3. After the cargos have been loaded into containers, they shall be sealed with lead under the supervision of the Albaniancompetent authorities, and the seal number shall be indicated in the health certificate. No disassembly or replacement of packaging shall be allowed in the course of transportation.
(All information in this document is authentic in Chinese. English is provided for reference only. In case of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.)