A savory, briny aroma fills the air inside the production facility of Weihai Puyuan Foodstuffs Co., Ltd. Here, fermented fish juice undergoes a meticulous process: it is first extracted and clarified, then carefully blended, and finally sterilized through filtration. This precise craft yields the coveted umami-rich essence, a testament to the artisanal care behind traditional fish sauce. This essence of the sea is now poised to embark on its journey to the tables in European Union (EU) households, heralding the very first entry of a fish sauce from Weihai into the EU market.
"The exported fish sauce in this shipment is rich in various free amino acids," noted Wang Xia, Business Manager of the company. "It acts as a natural 'umami enhancer' and also supplies essential nutrients to the body, which aligns perfectly with the pursuit of 'healthy eating' for consumers in the EU market." On this first shipment, Business Manager Wang Xia reflected on the significant hurdles: “Because it's a processed seafood product, it faces strict EU market access rules.There are multiple barriers, from factory registration to raw material control and residue testing. Breaking into this market was a real challenge.”
To ensure the successful export of fish sauce, Weihai Customs,a subsidiary of Qingdao Customs, assigned dedicated specialists to engage with the company at an early stage. Their role was to guide the enterprise through the complete EU registration and recommendation process, ensuring its production facilities were included on the EU's official list of approved establishments. Furthermore, to meet the specific requirements of EU regulations, Weihai Customs implementedan end-to-end supervision model covering the entire supply chain, from source and processing to export.This included strengthening tests for food additives like nitrites and sorbic acid at the source, imposing strict oversight over the entire manufacturing process, and providing expert guidance to help the company upgrade its quality and safety management system, all to ensure every product consistently meets the EU’s stringent safety standards.
“Given that this is the first-ever export of Weihai fish sauce to the EU, we swiftly compiled the necessary EU regulations and guided the company through compliance training, all while devising a customized clearance plan for the shipment,” explained Fu Lidong, Head of the Second Section of Inspection at Weihai Customs. To facilitate this, the authority established a dedicated "green channel" for the priority inspection of local aquatic products, and introduced facilitating measures such as “cloud-based issuance" and a “one-certificate, one-review” approach. These combined steps accelerated the issuance of the mandatory EU health certificates for fishery products, significantly reducing both clearance time and costs for the exporter.
According to Fu, Weihai Customs remains committed to advancing reforms in its localized inspection procedures, crafting tailored clearance solutions to help more local specialty producers access global markets and expand their international presence. (By Zhan Rui and Wang Yanli)
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