On July 20, local customs officers inspected a batch of exquisitely packaged ice cream at the refrigerated warehouse of a food company in Changde, taking photos and uploading cargo information. After inspection and quarantine, this shipment of ice cream, weighing approximately 30 tonnes, was set to be delivered to North America via cold-chain logistics throughout the journey.

"We've seen explosive growth in exports this year, breaking into markets in Europe and the Americas, including the United States, Canada, Poland, Romania, the United Kingdom, and Germany," said Cai Huiming, manager of the company's export business. Compared with similar products made in North America and Europe, the company provides ice cream custom-tailored service with more options in shapes and flavors, making it highly popular among overseas consumers.

Cai noted that the company can place orders on a specialized platform, leveraging China's increasingly robust cold chain logistics network. The ice cream products are then transported in qualified cold-chain vehicles at minus 18 degrees Celsius throughout the journey, with real-time cabin temperature monitoring and feedback provided. "We have made special improvements in melting resistance and shape retention for the exported products to ensure they remain intact after travelling halfway around the world."
 
To ensure the smooth export of time-sensitive products, the Changde Customs Authority provides "one enterprise, one policy" tailored service for enterprises, guiding them to enhance the quality and safety management systems to meet European and American market standards. A "green channel" for cold-chain food exports has been opened, allowing enterprises to make reservations for inspection. Customs officers conduct sampling inspection immediately after production, reducing the customs clearance time to within two hours.

Changde is currently the only area in Hunan that exports ice cream. Qi Xiaoyang, deputy chief of the Changde Customs Supervision Office, noted that in the first half of this year, the Changde Customs Authority supervised export of over 300 tonnes of ice cream, valued at 14.726 million CNY, a 31.4-fold increase year on year.

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government. www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Pang Yuehui

Chinese source: Chinanews