China's total food imports and exports rose 4.1 percent year on year to 1.46 trillion yuan (about 219 million U.S. dollars) in the first three quarters of 2026, customs data showed on Friday.
The General Administration of Customs (GAC) announced the figures during its themed event for the 2026 National Food Safety Publicity Week held on Friday in Xiamen, east China's Fujian Province.
A senior GAC official said that customs authorities across the country have consistently reinforced import and export food safety regulations, fostering steady expansion in the country's food trade.
According to the latest data, in the first nine months of this year, China's food imports totaled 1.04 trillion yuan, up 4.7 percent year on year, while exports reached 0.42 trillion yuan, up 2.4 percent.
To safeguard public health, customs authorities returned or destroyed 4,498 batches of substandard imports and took measures against 5,623 overseas food enterprises.
"We have implemented registration management for 99,000 enterprises in 182 countries and regions around the world. We have also strengthened corporate compliance management and cracked down harder on food-related violations. From January to September, customs inspections uncovered 219 cases, and 112 administrative penalty cases in the food safety field were concluded, involving more than 73 million yuan," said Zhang Baofeng, deputy head of the GAC.
Jointly hosted by the State Council Food Safety Office alongside 27 government departments and agencies, the 2026 National Food Safety Publicity campaign kicked off on September 22. Throughout the initiative, authorities are rolling out more than 40 themed events, featuring professional training on food safety laws and standards, the release of typical law enforcement cases, and public education campaigns focused on food safety and nutrition.
China's food trade grows 4.1 pct in first three quarters
