6 min read
Food imports: the six documents that gate customs clearance
A detained food container is almost always held for a documentary reason, not a sanitary one. A review of the paperwork to secure before loading.
Product family
Food & Beverage
Staples, dry grocery and beverages, in bulk or packaged.
In short
SELA INTERNATIONAL LTD sources and resells shelf-stable foodstuffs, as well as frozen or canned seafood, on a B2B basis: cereals and pulses, oils and fats, sugar and sweeteners, spices, tea and coffee, canned goods and dry grocery, beverages. Lots are bought from vetted producers and processors across Asia, East Africa, South America and Europe, then resold to importers, wholesalers, buying groups and catering operators. Business is transacted in full container loads (FCL) or groupage (LCL), under Incoterms® 2020, with sanitary documentation and certificate of origin.
Sub-families covered
Cereals & pulses
White and parboiled rice, soft wheat, maize, lentils, chickpeas, dry beans, flours.
HS chapters and headings : 10 · 07.13 · 11
Oils & fats
Sunflower, rapeseed and refined palm oil, olive oil, industrial margarines.
HS chapters and headings : 15
Sugar & sweeteners
ICUMSA 45 white crystal sugar, raw cane sugar (VHP), glucose syrups, molasses.
HS chapters and headings : 17
Spices, tea & coffee
Pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, clove, vanilla, bulk black and green tea, green coffee.
HS chapters and headings : 09
Seafood
Frozen and canned tuna, whitefish, shrimp, cephalopods.
HS chapters and headings : 03 · 16.04
Canned goods & dry grocery
Tomato paste, canned vegetables and fruit, pasta, sauces, stocks and bouillons.
HS chapters and headings : 16 · 19.02 · 20 · 21
Beverages
Bottled water, juices and nectars, carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks.
HS chapters and headings : 20.09 · 22
Typical buyers
The buyer profiles SELA most frequently deals with in this family.
- Food importers and wholesalers
- Buying groups and retail chains
- Catering and hospitality operators
- Food processing manufacturers
Sourcing areas for this family
- South-East Asia
- India & subcontinent
- Türkiye & Eastern Mediterranean
- Gulf & Middle East
- North-West Europe
- South America
- East Africa
- Southern Africa
- Singapore — transshipment
Frequently asked questions about this family
Which products can SELA source?
SELA INTERNATIONAL LTD covers four families: food and beverage (cereals, oils, sugar, spices, seafood, canned goods, drinks), non-food consumer goods (hygiene, cleaning, packaging, home textiles, household equipment), furniture and interiors (indoor and outdoor furniture, bedding, lighting, project fit-out), and industrial and other categories (materials, equipment, agri-industrial inputs). Any off-catalogue request is handled as sourcing to specification.
What is the minimum order quantity?
Minimum quantities depend on the product and the origin factory. In practice, most operations start at one full 20-foot container per reference. For fit-out projects and multi-reference packages, consolidation makes it viable to work with smaller quantities per item. SELA INTERNATIONAL LTD states the applicable minimum in every quotation.
Which Incoterms does SELA trade on?
SELA INTERNATIONAL LTD contracts under the Incoterms® 2020 rules, mainly FCA, FOB, CFR, CIF, DAP and DPU. The choice depends on the corridor and on the buyer’s in-house logistics capability. Every offer states the rule, the named place and the edition, and is usually quoted on at least two bases so that landed costs can be compared.
How does SELA control quality before shipment?
At SELA INTERNATIONAL LTD, pre-shipment inspections are entrusted to independent third-party bodies and follow an AQL sampling plan compliant with ISO 2859-1, with thresholds fixed in the purchase contract. The full report is passed to the buyer, including where its findings are adverse, and, where the purchase contract so provides, gates release of the balance payment to the supplier.
Further reading on this family
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