What are the market access conditions for importing ceramic tableware products

 Porcelain tableware has a long history of development in China and it is a treasure of Chinese national culture. Porcelain products have become a daily necessities for people's families. China is the world's largest tableware manufacturer, consumer and exporter of ceramic tableware, and its output has ranked first in the world for more than ten consecutive years. Ceramic product has always played the important role of strengthening friendly exchanges between China and foreign countries and promoting win-win international trade.

Thus, do you know wh the differences in the market access conditions for importing ceramic tableware from China ?And how should enterprises respond effectively? What is the ceramic product quality and safety standards for your country ?

European Union

Requirements for food contact products such as ceramic tableware in the form of issuing regulations and instructions are mainly divided into three levels:The first level is "general measures" applicable to all food contact products;The second level is "specific measures" applicable to certain types of materials, such as the 84/500/EEC directive for ceramic products in contact with food; 

 The third level is "individual measures" for specific substances, such as the 1st revision of EU Directive 2005/31/EC.

Keyquality and safety indicators: EU special measures stipulate the limit requirements and detection methods for the dissolution of lead and cadmium. While the EU member states are complying with the EU directives, some countries also stipulate the requirements for the edge of the flatware, while Germany imposes stricter restrictions on the amount of lead leaching.

United States

The U.S. federal government has imposed strict mandatory inspections on the limits of lead and cadmium in ceramic tableware and tea sets. It should be noted that according to the "Memorandum of Understanding on Ceramic Vessels for Preparation, Containment or Storage of Food and Beverages Exported to the United States", China's daily-use ceramics exported to the United States also implement a production plant certification system.

Key quality and safety indicators: Since the U.S. government adopts a unified regulatory system for import, export and domestic products, citing the same conformity assessment standards, entering the U.S. market must comply with FDA standards "Cadmium Pollution of Imported and Domestic Ceramics" and "Cadmium Pollution of Imported and Domestic Ceramics" Lead Pollution", the detection method specifies the analytical method of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

 California special regulations: According to (US California Prop.65-2002), California implements stricter limit standards than the federal government.

Japan

The management of ceramic tableware in Japan is under the responsibility of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and the local food quarantine offices under its jurisdiction. Similar to the EU, the requirements are divided into 3 categories:

The first is the general regulation, which stipulates the content requirements of heavy metals, especially lead, in all food contact products.

 Second, according to the material, the safety and hygiene requirements for more than a dozen types of polymers are stipulated for food contact products including ceramics.

The third is to specify the quality requirements for special purposes, such as setting strict standards for the packaging of pasteurized milk with special-purpose materials.

In addition to complying with these food hygiene regulations, food contact products such as ceramic tableware are more often self-managed through industry associations. Government officials mainly use "self-inspection", "monitoring inspection" and "order inspection" for ceramic tableware that needs to be inspected Three different

Heavy metal dissolution

In addition to the United States, Japan, the European Union and other countries and regions, almost without exception, other countries such as South Korea, Australia, South Africa, Russia, and Singapore have strict requirements for lead and cadmium, but the limit values and detection methods are different. This is a favorable factor for enterprises to respond to foreign technical trade measures, product safety and performance interoperability, and the smooth realization of "export to domestic sales". Enterprises need to collect national standards, and on this basis, strictly control the inspection of raw materials and finished products to ensure that the products pass the lead and cadmium tests.

Dissolution of lead and cadmium

In the manufacturing process of ceramic products, lead and cadmium may be present in the glaze and decorative patterns. If it is used to hold food, especially acidic food, it will cause lead and cadmium to dissolve into the food and enter the human body. Lead and cadmium are heavy metal elements. In the human body, they easily enter the blood but are not easily excreted. Long-term consumption of foods containing lead and cadmium will affect the immune system of the human body and lead to various diseases.

Due to the harm of lead and cadmium to the human body, most countries in the world impose restrictions on the amount of lead and cadmium dissolved as a decisive indicator for testing whether ceramic products are qualified or not. Products exceeding the limit may not be allowed to be imported, or obvious warning texts will be added.

For example, the US FDA stipulates that all colored surfaces that are in direct contact with food must be tested for food use. There must be a text description such as "not for food, because the surface contains lead, once used, it will be poisonous to food."

In the world, there are also cases of corresponding products being notified and recalled by the European Union or detained by the US FDA and Canada every year.

Based on the above reasons, the technical differences of ceramic tableware in various countries are also mainly reflected in the amount of lead and cadmium dissolved. Taking flat ceramic vessels as an example, under the same testing conditions such as temperature and time:

Physical properties

Countries and regions such as the United States, Singapore, and the European Union also attach great importance to the supervision of physical and chemical properties such as strength, rapid cooling and rapid heating, and microwave oven applicability of daily-use ceramics. Europe and the United States have recalled a series of products such as teapot handles that are easy to overheat and cause burns, ceramic bottle openers that are easy to break and cause scratches, and mugs that spark and cause fires during microwave heating. In Singapore, all cracked and damaged ceramics are banned. Once seized, in addition to being banned from use, there may be a fine.