Take Part in Our Case Studies on Dairy in China

The EU SME Centre is in the process of updating one of its existing reports on the export of dairy products to the Chinese market. Specifically, the report will provide an up-to-date overview of China’s dairy market and the regulations relevant to the export of different dairy categories such as milk, cheese, yoghurt, butter etc., but it also covers the export of infant formula. The focus of the report will be on how to comply with relevant regulations such as the manufacturing facility registration with GACC (Decree 248/249), or the registration with SAMR for infant formula, but is also covering the export via Cross-Border E-Commerce (CBEC).

For this reason, we are looking for EU SMEs, business organisations or agencies willing to share their experience and best practices in exporting dairy food to China. The objective is to provide insights to EU SMEs on the potential of this market, as well as practical guidance on what actions are required and what initiatives are possible to successfully export their products to China.

Structure of the case study

The case study could be developed either as an interview with the EU SME Centre’s experts or fully by the SME, business organisation or agency. We are looking for examples from different dairy categories (e.g. cheese, milk or infant formula) and different export channels (CBEC vs. general trade). The structure and content of the case study are open and entirely based on your experience, but in general, could cover the following aspects:

• Your overall situation in/with China (company description and supportive actions for EU SMEs operating in the dairy sector)
• General market overview – current challenges, especially for EU SMEs but also opportunities arising
• Overview of specific cases of preparing the export of dairy products to the Chinese market, including:
  • The right platform for each product: CBEC or general trade?
  • Regulatory peculiarities, main challenges to overcome
  • Registration with GACC (Decree 248): Procedure, costs, timeline
  • Registration with SAMR for infant formula: Procedure, costs, timeline
  • Cooperation with competent authorities responsible for food export in EU countries: Are they aware of the recent changes and adapted promptly? Are bilateral agreements signed between China and the respective country?
  • Inspection and quarantine requirements for certain dairy products
  • CBEC solution as first step into the market
  • Compliance with labelling requirements
  • Marketing or promotional campaigns – opportunities for EU SMEs using CBEC or general trade
  • Competition with other foreign/local brands
  • What did (or can) go wrong, how to prevent mistakes
• Future plans and outlook

Key takeaways

• How to ensure compliance with China’s regulatory framework
• How to enter and stay in the market
• Cultural differences of Chinese consumers / features of the Chinese market

What’s in it for you

The case study will be included in the EU SME Centre’s updated report, with your visibility elements included.

We will invite you to present the case during an ad hoc webinar to be organised after the publication of the report. Other joint promotion or support activities can be discussed and organised.

Contact details

Interested SMEs, business organisations and agencies may contact us at: alessio.petino@eusmecentre.org.cn and arvid.tilner@eusmecentre.org.cn.