China is the world’s largest beef-importing country by volume and continues to grow rapidly. For Uruguayan exporters and international buyers sourcing for the Chinese market, GACC registration is the fundamental prerequisite for market access. Frigorifico Sirsil SA is a GACC-approved establishment with direct export authorisation to China.
What is GACC Registration?
GACC — the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China — is the government body responsible for regulating all food imports into China. For beef, any foreign establishment wishing to export to China must be individually registered with GACC. This is not a country-level approval only; each processing facility must hold its own GACC registration number, which appears on all packaging, labels, and customs declarations for China-bound shipments.
The GACC registration process involves an official review of the facility’s food safety system, veterinary inspection protocols, HACCP documentation, and compliance with China’s specific import requirements. Facilities are inspected by a combination of Chinese customs officials and the exporting country’s competent authority — in Uruguay’s case, MGAP-INAC.
Without GACC registration, a facility cannot legally ship beef to China regardless of whether the exporting country has a bilateral trade agreement in place. Buyers sourcing for Chinese distribution must verify their supplier’s individual GACC establishment number before contracting.
Uruguay’s Position in the Chinese Beef Market
Uruguay has been exporting beef to China since 2010 and has developed one of the strongest bilateral trade relationships of any South American beef-exporting country with the Chinese market. Uruguay’s SNIG traceability system, prohibition of hormones, and grass-fed production credentials align well with the preferences of China’s growing premium consumer segment and the requirements of major Chinese importers, supermarket chains, and food service groups.
China is particularly important to Uruguay for offal and by-product exports — tongue, tripe, omasum, cheek meat, feet and tendons — which are in strong demand across the Chinese food service and retail market. Uruguay’s GACC approval covers the full range of beef products including these high-value by-products.
Chinese Labeling and Documentation Requirements
All beef exported to China must meet specific labeling requirements that differ from other markets. Labels must be in Chinese (Mandarin) and include:
- The establishment’s GACC registration number
- Country of origin (Uruguay)
- Product name in Chinese
- Net weight and storage conditions
- Production date and best-before date
Frigorifico Sirsil SA provides Chinese-language labeling on all China-bound shipments as standard. Our export documentation team manages the GACC packing list format, the official MGAP/INAC veterinary health certificate conforming to the China model, and coordinates with the shipping line and freight forwarder on cold chain continuity documentation.
Popular Chinese Market Cuts from Uruguay
Chinese buyers have specific cut preferences that differ significantly from European or North American markets. The most demanded Uruguayan products for the Chinese market include short plate, flank steak, chuck roll (for hotpot), offals including liver, tongue, tripe, omasum, tendons, and feet, and hindquarter muscles for premium retail. Frigorifico Sirsil SA supplies all of these categories with GACC-compliant documentation and Chinese-language labeling.
Exporting to China? We Are GACC Approved
Contact our export team to discuss specifications, labeling requirements, and pricing for the Chinese market.