MFDS Signs Three Food Safety Cooperation Documents With China, Allows Meat-Containing Ramen

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) signed three food safety cooperation documents with China, lowering barriers to K-food exports to the country.

The MFDS said on the 20th that it signed three cooperation documents with China’s General Administration of Customs during the 2026 APEC Customs-Business Dialogue held in Dalian, China.

The APEC Customs-Business Dialogue is a high-level consultative body in which customs authorities, governments and industry representatives from member economies discuss smart customs systems, trade facilitation, food safety and supply chain cooperation.

China’s General Administration of Customs is the government agency responsible for customs and the country’s import and export gateways, including tariff administration, the safety management of imported and exported food, and quarantine.

The latest agreements follow memorandums of understanding on “food safety cooperation” and the “Arrangement on Sanitary Management of the Import and Export of Wild-Caught Aquatic Products Between Korea and China” signed by the MFDS and China’s General Administration of Customs on Jan. 5 during a Korea-China summit.

The registration process for food manufacturers exporting to China will first be simplified. Previously, companies seeking to export had to apply individually to the Chinese government. Going forward, they will be able to apply for registration or changes through the MFDS’s integrated civil petition portal, Food Safety Korea. Once the MFDS reviews and approves the requirements, the Chinese government will also recognize the registration.

As a result, the registration period for most foods, excluding livestock products, will be shortened from about 3 months to about 10 days. The MFDS expects this to reduce annual losses of approximately 370 billion won caused by delays in registration applications and other factors.

China has restricted imports of Korean ramen containing even trace amounts of meat because of concerns about livestock infectious diseases. Under the agreement, products made with meat from countries recognized by China and meeting agreed-upon hygiene requirements, including heat-treatment standards, will be eligible for export to China.

Domestic ramen companies will no longer face the burden of operating separate production lines and will be able to supply the Chinese market with the same products sold domestically. This is expected to improve production efficiency, reduce costs and strengthen product competitiveness.

An industry official said the agreement is expected to improve production efficiency and cost competitiveness. Another food industry official said the industry hopes the measure will eventually be expanded to sauces containing meat ingredients, ready-to-eat foods and other products.

Sanitary certificates for imported and exported aquatic products will be converted from paper documents to electronic certificates (E-certificates) exchanged through government-to-government systems. Under this approach, the two governments will link their systems to exchange certificate information as data and strengthen security through digital authentication, as recommended by international organizations including the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CODEX) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).

The change is expected to prevent forgery and alteration while speeding customs clearance. Because paper certificates will no longer need to be issued and sent by international mail, annual costs are also expected to fall by approximately 3 billion won. The MFDS said this estimate was based on multiplying an international mailing cost of 80,000 won per certificate by approximately 37,000 certificates.

An official from the Korea Food Industry Association said, "For companies preparing to export to China, complicated registration procedures and the issuance and submission of various certificates have been a significant burden in terms of time and cost. We expect the signing of these cooperation documents to reduce the administrative burden on exporting companies and improve customs clearance convenience, providing practical help, particularly to small and midsize food companies seeking to enter the Chinese market more easily and quickly."

Yu Kyung Oh, minister of the MFDS, said, "The signing of these cooperation documents includes various tangible achievements for companies, including simplifying export procedures for Korean food companies to China, improving customs clearance convenience and enabling the export of ramen containing meat ingredients to China. We will continue to strengthen the foundation for K-food exports by expanding cooperation with major trading partners."

The MFDS plans to provide the food industry with detailed guidance on the registration simplification measures and the agreed-upon export requirements for ramen containing meat ingredients through industry meetings and other channels.