Has the era of high profits in importing food agency ended?

When Mr. Zhang first found that Spanish ham on the supermarket shelf, he never imagined that he would become the largest imported food agent in North China three years later. Behind this lies a multi-billion-dollar market - The average annual growth rate of the Chinese imported food industry reaches 15%, but only those who understand the rules will truly get a share of the cake.

According to the data from the General Administration of Customs, the scale of imported food exceeded 180 billion US dollars in 2023, but the market penetration rate is still less than 30% in first-tier cities. Ms. Li's case is quite representative: Her agency of Norwegian cod fish achieved a breakthrough of selling 200,000 packs per month through the community group-buying channel within half a year.

• Consumption upgrading: The middle class is willing to pay a 47% premium for a single imported food item
• Channel sinking: The consumption growth rate of imported food in third- and fourth-tier cities is twice that of first-tier cities
• Policy benefits: Under the RCEP agreement, the tariffs of ASEAN foods are reduced to 0-5%

Experts from Zhongshitong Supply Chain pointed out that successful agents often grasp three core links: The product selection logic should follow the "three-three system principle" (30% traffic-generating items, 30% profit items, 40% long-tail items), the cold chain management needs to achieve full-process temperature control and traceability, and the compliance filing must prepare 22 qualification documents six months in advance. The lesson of a whole container of goods being returned due to not updating the quarantine certificate of Brazilian beef in a certain inspection still warns the industry.

The profit margins of different categories may differ by five times:

• Egg and egg products with customs code 0407 have an average gross profit margin of 18%
• Flavored tea drinks with customs code 0902 can have a gross profit margin of 35%
• The ready-to-eat meal package with customs code 2106 actually has a higher profit than fresh produce due to VAT differences

With the revision of the registration management measures for foods for special medical purposes, the agency of special medical foods is becoming a new blue ocean. An agent in a provincial capital city achieved a 62% counter-cyclical growth by laying out diabetes-specific foods when the traditional categories were struggling. But note that this field requires the dual support of medical device operation filing and a clinical nutritionist team.

When you pick up that pack of imported biscuits in the convenience store, it may have gone through a 12-link agency chain. This industry always needs new breakers - perhaps after reading this article, a photo of an overseas delicacy saved on your phone could be the first piece of the future business map.