The Chinese media reports that beginning next month, fruit vendors who want to sell imported produce in Shanghai will have to apply for approval from the Shanghai Fruit Business Association.

The effect of the rule only covers companies that are members of the association, a group that represents 60 per cent of the city's fruit vendors.

According to the system, fruit trade companies and markets must submit a letter of commitment to the association, promising that they are selling genuine imported fruit. After inspection, the association will issue a certificate allowing the companies and markets to deal with imported fruit.

The imported fruit retailers are also required to post the certificate and production site of the fruit. Officials with the Shanghai Industrial and Commercial Administrative Bureau will be in charge of the inspection work.

Association officials said the system will first be tested in large wholesale markets including Shanghai Fruit King Food Co Ltd, Huazhong Fruit and Agricultural Products Trade Center, Shanghai Shanhua Fruit Wholesale Market and Shanghai Agricultural Products Centre.

"We decided to introduce the market entrance system because many fruit sellers tend to disguise homebred fruits as imported fruits, which are more expensive," said Yuan Yaxiang, a spokesman for the association. "This not only harms the interests of consumers but also has a negative impact on foreign fruit traders."

It is known to be a common practice among some fruit sellers to buy fake labels for imported fruit and attach the labels to homebred fruits, allowing them to charge two to three times the price they could for domestic produce.

Kiwifruit from New Zealand and Sunkist oranges from the US are often counterfeited, association officials said.

"We need the cooperation of the administrative department and tougher punishments for those caught selling counterfeiting imported fruit," Yuan said.

China will also put into effect a revised regulation on quarantine of imported fruit from July 5 this year, Xinhua reports.

The move is aimed to prevent harmful organism and toxic matter from entering China and to protect its agricultural production, ecological safety and people's health, it added.

The new rules stipulate that the contents of harmful and toxic matter of imported fruit should not exceed China's food hygiene requirements.

The packages of imported fruit should bear the fruit name, place of production, packing unit and code either in Chinese or in English.

The storing sites for imported fruit should be supervised and managed by local quarantine departments.

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