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2026-10-30
# Ginseng Extract Drink Manufacturing Licenses China Suppliers Must Hold
Any factory producing ginseng extract drinks in China must hold a Food Production License (the "SC license"), and if the product is sold as a registered health food, the specific product also needs a Blue Hat registration number. These two credentials are the foundation of legitimacy; export-oriented suppliers typically add ISO 22000 or HACCP certification and an export food production filing on top. Knowing what each document covers — and how to verify it — protects buyers from working with trading companies posing as manufacturers or with unlicensed workshops.
Since 2015, China's Food Production License has used "SC" (Sheng Chan, production) numbering, replacing the old QS mark. The license is issued by provincial market regulation authorities and is product-category specific. For ginseng drinks, the relevant categories are usually beverages (category 06) — covering plant-based and flavored drinks — or other foods, depending on the formulation. A license that covers only, say, candy or tea cannot legally cover a bottled ginseng extract drink.
What buyers should check on the SC certificate:
A useful rule of thumb: legitimate manufacturers volunteer their SC number in quotations without being asked. If a supplier hesitates, treat it as a red flag and stop the vetting process until documents are produced.
In China, ginseng products can be sold two ways: as ordinary food (no claims, no Blue Hat) or as registered "health food" with the Blue Hat mark and a function claim such as "helps support immunity." The Blue Hat registration is product-level, issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation, and takes 1-3 years to obtain — which is why it is a strong signal of an established, compliant manufacturer.
For export buyers, Blue Hat matters in three ways:
Note that if you plan to sell in the US as a dietary supplement, the Blue Hat is not required, but your product must comply with DSHEA labeling; see our overview of FDA registration for dietary supplement imports.
Beyond the two core licenses, a competent ginseng drink OEM usually presents the following. The table below ranks them by how much weight buyers should give each.
| Certification / document | What it covers | Importance for export buyers |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 22000 / HACCP | Food safety management system | High — expect at least one |
| Export food production filing | Legal eligibility to produce for export | High — required by customs |
| Halal certification | Muslim consumer compliance | Essential for Middle East markets |
| ISO 9001 | General quality management | Medium — nice to have |
| Organic certification (China Organic, EU, USDA) | Raw material chain | Depends on product positioning |
| GMP workshop report | Hygiene of production environment | Medium — verify via audit photos |
If your target market requires Halal, verify the certifying body is recognized in your destination country, not just a generic logo on the brochure. Our guide to halal certification for health products in the Middle East explains the recognition landscape.
Buyers cannot always visit China before ordering, so verification needs a structured remote process:
Our broader checklist on how to evaluate a Chinese health food supplier combines document checks with on-site audit criteria.
Three patterns account for most problems in this category. First, trading company misrepresentation: the "factory" is an office; production is subcontracted to an unvetted workshop. Second, scope mismatch: the SC license covers herbal tea, but the buyer orders concentrated ginseng extract vials, which fall under a different category. Third, stale certificates: ISO certificates presented were valid two years ago and lapsed at renewal. All three are caught by the same discipline — verify every document against a registry, match every address, and check validity dates line by line before the deposit leaves your account.
The SC license is China's national Food Production License, issued by provincial market regulators. For ginseng extract drinks it must list the beverage or relevant food category in its production scope. Without it, a facility cannot legally manufacture food products for sale.
No. Blue Hat is a Chinese domestic health-food registration and is not required for export. However, it is a positive quality signal, and if the product carries Blue Hat in China, ask whether the export formula is identical to the registered one.
Ask for the SC certificate and business license, then cross-check the license numbers and addresses through China's National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System or via a local sourcing agent. For larger orders, a third-party factory audit costs USD 300-800 and gives direct on-site confirmation.