Chinese customs rule strips Hong Kong label from mainland vegetable shelves

Chinese customs regulations that took effect in September have stripped Hong Kong-bound vegetables of their distinctive label on mainland shelves, erasing a quality marker that middle-class shoppers had relied on for years.

New registration rules end trusted branding

The General Administration of Customs introduced rules requiring only food-processing firms to register from September 1, eliminating the previous requirement for growing farms. As a result, vegetables grown on the same farms that supply Hong Kong can no longer carry the Hong Kong-bound label when sold in mainland supermarkets.

The change has forced consumers to adjust their shopping habits. "Before, I just looked for the Hong Kong-bound label," a female consumer wrote this week on Chinese social media platform RedNote. "Now I must check the details myself, and that's the change".

Retailers scramble to reassure customers

The Hong Kong label had long served as a selling point for high quality, sparking concern among consumers accustomed to using it as a trusted shortcut. Hong Kong-bound labelled lettuce was once a bestseller at Walmart-owned Sam's Club on the mainland, drawing middle-class shoppers who trusted its quality.

Given its high popularity, the retailer added a tag on the product to explain the new customs rule. The 600-gram pack, still priced at 12.90 yuan (US$1.90), uses the same packaging and supplier from China's northwestern Ningxia Hui autonomous region, distinguished only by the new "Dali lettuce" label.

Source: South China Morning Post