Can I take Japanese snacks, souvenirs, and matcha into mainland China? What are the rules for meat, eggs, dairy, and fresh fruit?

Updated 2026-10-233 sources

This article covers mainland China's entry rules. Check your own country's customs rules before you travel.

The short answer

How to read the ingredient list

The "原材料名" (ingredients) on the back of Japanese food packaging is listed from most to least by weight, and allergens are labeled separately (e.g., "一部に卵・乳成分・小麦を含む," meaning "contains egg, milk, and wheat"). Look for: ビーフ (beef), ポーク / 豚肉 (pork), チキン / 鶏肉 (chicken), ベーコン (bacon), ハム (ham), ソーセージ (sausage), ビーフジャーキー (beef jerky). The list says "meat and meat products" and doesn't separately address meat-flavored seasonings, so snacks containing meat extract (エキス) are a gray area left to customs on site. The safest choice is not to buy them. For example, Natori's "厚切ビーフ" (thick-cut beef) jerky lists beef as its first ingredient, so it definitely can't be brought in. Kameda's Kaki no Tane lists chicken and pork among its allergens, from the seasoning; this site doesn't label it a meat product, but if you're concerned, choose something else.

Eggs and dairy depend more on the case. Cookies and cakes often contain eggs, butter, or milk powder; in practice, baked, prepackaged sweets like these are usually treated as ordinary food when travelers carry them, and this site doesn't mark them "prohibited" for that reason. But the list's wording for "dairy products" and "egg products" is broad. We recommend not bringing cheesecakes (e.g., LeTAO Double Fromage), fresh-cream sweets, puddings, and other refrigerated items made mainly of milk or eggs; customs at the port has the final say.

Refrigerated and short-shelf-life sweets

• Royce' says on its official website that its Nama Chocolate must be refrigerated (10°C or below). Pack it with ice packs in an insulated bag, keep it with you if possible, and put it in the fridge as soon as you get home.
• Fresh wagashi and freshly made sweets that last only a few days aren't suitable as gifts to take home.
• Liquid or paste foods (e.g., jam, honey) in carry-on must be 100mL or less per container; check anything larger.

Quantities and allowance

There's no single quantity limit for food; the standard is "reasonable quantity for personal use." If food plus your other purchases abroad exceed 5,000 yuan, you must declare. See the 5,000 yuan duty-free allowance. On the Japan side, from November 2026 the system changes to paying tax first and getting a refund after departure, and food is subject to the reduced 8% rate. See the new tax-free rules.

This article is based on the publicly available text of the list and does not replace the judgment of customs officers on site. If the rules change, follow what China's General Administration of Customs publishes.