China's rejections of U.S. food shipments are rising

China continued rejecting relatively large numbers of U.S. food shipments in the first 4 months of 2025, according to Chinese customs reports. A rising trend in Chinese rejections of U.S. food shipments has been underway since 2020 for no particular reason.

The European Union and United States had the largest number of food shipments rejected by China's customs inspectors during the first 4 months of 2025. China's customs administration reported rejecting 207 shipments of food from the European Union and 154 shipments of U.S. food during January to April 2025. These two trade partners were way ahead of others in rejections. Japan had the 3rd-largest number of rejections with 81, followed by Brazil (68), Malaysia (66), Vietnam (54), and Taiwan (50). In all, China rejected 1,180 shipments from 50 countries and regions with a volume of 19,187 metric tons. 

Chart shows trade partners that had 50 or more rejections.
Compiled from China customs administration reports.

Most rejections of U.S. foods so far this year fell in several categories: 47 shipments of pork offal, chicken feet, and beef (HS 02 and 1602) from prominent U.S. companies, 47 shipments of beer, cider and other beverages (HS 22); and 35 shipments of food ingredients and dietary supplements (HS 21). Others were scattered over various food categories. January-February rejections of U.S. food were composed mainly of beer, cider, food ingredients, and supplements from two U.S. suppliers. Meat was prominent in the March-April rejections. 

Chinese inspectors cite a variety of problems for rejections. Most problems cited are incomplete or problematic paperwork or labels that do not conform with Chinese regulations. Improper additives and degraded or contaminated products make up a smaller portion of rejections. U.S. beer rejections are cited mainly for labeling and packaging problems. U.S. meat was rejected for documentation, detection of disease, degradation, failure of visual inspection, and detection of growth-promoting compound ractopamine. 

Note that these rejections do not include shipments of bulk commodities like soybeans and grains that comprise a large value of China's agricultural imports from countries like the U.S., Brazil, and Australia.

China's rejections of EU foods were composed largely of swine offal (heads, tongues, feet) from Denmark rejected for an unnamed animal disease and pork from Spain rejected for containing a testosterone compound. Other EU products rejected included a range of products such as beer, tea bags, nutrition supplements, and energy bars.

China has rejected food shipments from over 100 countries since 2018, but the EU (1,935 rejections during 2018-24) and Japan (1,733 rejections) stood out as the trading partners with the most rejections. The U.S. was third with 1,404 rejections. Others in the top 5 were Vietnam (1,278 rejections) and Taiwan (1,242 rejections). 

The U.S. is one of just a few of China's trading partners whose rejections of food shipments have been on a rising trend. China's annual rejections of U.S. food rose from 99 during 2020 to 476 in 2024. This year's 154 U.S. rejections during January-April were up from 119 during the same period last year. 

Rejections of food shipments from Japan, India, Thailand and Malaysia peaked in 2021. Rejections of EU food fell during 2022 and 2023 before more than doubling in 2024 due to a surge of pork rejections. Rejections of food shipments from Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia fell after peaking in 2022. 

Compiled from China customs administration.

Brazil and the Philippines are among the few countries with rising rejections of food, but their rejections are fewer in number. China rejected 110 Brazilian shipments and 45 Philippine shipments in 2024. The rise in Brazilian rejections last year was driven by the surge of meat rejections reported here in February: most were beef and chicken feet rejected for documentation issues, a hormone compound, and failure of physical inspections. Philippine shipments rejected included seafood, supplements, noodles, and snack foods like banana chips, rejected mainly for documentation problems.