Points to be Aware of for the Food Circulation License

There are more and more foreign invested trading enterprises nowadays in Shanghai and many of them among these enterprises are in the food trading industry, which are allowed to start its business only after obtaining its Food Circulation License. So as thus, we would like to share some experiences which are collected over the years with you for the points which need to be aware of when processing such application for food circulation.

Ø  Operator shall apply for Food Circulation License to the AIC if engaged in food business which is in relation with food circulation; Operator is not required to obtain food circulation license if ready obtained food hygiene license and sales its own food production in its own production place; Operator is not required to obtain food circulation license if ready obtained food and beverage service license and sales its own processed food production in its own food and beverage service place.

Ø  To apply for food circulation license, applicant shall meet the standard of food safety and below requirements:

1)      Has the place for food processing, packaging and stocking which match with the type of food and the quantity for the raw material. Also shall keep this space clean, tidy and keep a distance with pollution sources which are poisoning and harmful;

2)      Has the equipments and facilities which match the type and quantity for the kind of food production, also shall have the equipments and facilities for sterilizing, clothes changing, lighting, ventilation, anticorrosion, insects proof, mice proof, washing, wastewater treatment, garbage storage and waste;

3)      Has the skilled professional personnel, managers, rules and regulations for ensuring food safety;

4)      Has reasonable layout for equipments and processing flow, to avoid the cross contaminations between the food to be processed and other raw material and even to avoid the cross contaminations between toxic matters, unclean matters and food.

Ø  The AIC will arrange site inspection when during the application process of food circulation license, to inspect the business place and storage place for applicant’s food circulation. And this license will be issued only after applicant passes this inspection.