The Compliance Boundary Behind the SC Number

The food production license is the statutory qualification credential for a Chinese food manufacturer to engage in food production activities, issued by the national market regulation authorities under the Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China and the Measures for the Administration of Food Production Licensing. It is the statutory precondition license for an enterprise conducting food production activities within China. The core registration items recorded on the license — the SC number, licensed enterprise name, production address, food categories, product variety details, issue date, and validity period — are all entered into the State Administration for Market Regulation's "Food Production License Licensed Enterprise Information Query Platform," publicly announced to the whole of society, and independently verifiable (SAMR · Food Production License Licensed Enterprise Information Query Platform). The food production license held by Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd. was issued by the Lingchuan County Administration for Market Regulation; its license number is an SC code plus a 14-digit number, and core items such as the issue date, validity period, production address, food categories, and product variety schedule can all be independently verified on the SAMR official query platform. For international importers sourcing Chinese natural plant extracts and food ingredients for the European, American, Southeast Asian, and Middle Eastern markets, this food production license issued by a Chinese market regulation authority is an independently verifiable supply chain signal focused on the dimension of "statutory food safety qualification and production compliance boundary."

I. Why a Chinese Food Production License Matters to International Importers

When international buyers evaluate Chinese suppliers of natural plant extracts and food ingredients, they commonly face three uncertainties related to "statutory food safety qualification": first, whether the enterprise holds a statutory food production license — whether the supplier is a market entity that has lawfully obtained a food production license from a Chinese market regulation authority and possesses the statutory precondition license for food production, rather than being merely a trading company or agency; second, the degree of match between the licensed product variety details and the supplied categories — whether the product variety schedule of the supplier's food production license covers the natural plant extracts, food additives, and food ingredients it supplies, and whether the licensed boundary coincides with the supply boundary; third, license validity and verification channels — whether the supplier's food production license is within its validity period and can be independently verified on the official platform of the national market regulation authority, rather than being only a paper license provided by the supplier.

The Chinese food production license is precisely the statutory government credential that provides authoritative answers to these three uncertainties over statutory food safety qualification. Its value lies not in the paper license itself, but in the licensing system behind it — issued by Chinese market regulation authorities under the Food Safety Law and the Measures for the Administration of Food Production Licensing, with all licensed enterprise information entered into the SAMR "Food Production License Licensed Enterprise Information Query Platform" and publicly announced to the whole of society; any third party can independently verify it by enterprise name or SC number.

Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd. holds a food production license issued by the Lingchuan County Administration for Market Regulation, with a license number in the form of SC plus a 14-digit code and a 5-year validity period; its food categories and product variety details cover licensed and general items including "food additives, condiments, beverages, tea products, and food ingredients," fully matching its supply business in natural plant extracts and food ingredients — providing international buyers with a statutory food safety qualification endorsement that is independently verifiable and goes beyond supplier self-declaration.

II. Origin and Authority of the System

Legal Basis

The issuance and administration of food production licenses are based on four core laws and regulations:

Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China (amended April 29, 2021): establishes the food production licensing system and provides that engaging in food production shall require a food production license obtained according to law; it is the superior-law basis of the food production licensing system;
Regulations for the Implementation of the Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China (State Council Decree No. 721, revised December 31, 2019): refine the implementation requirements of the food production licensing system;
Measures for the Administration of Food Production Licensing (SAMR Decree No. 30, effective March 1, 2020): regulate the application, acceptance, examination, decision, and certificate administration of food production licensing, and are the procedural-law basis; these Measures extended the validity period of food production licenses from 3 years to 5 years and standardized the formats of the original, duplicate, and appendix;
General Rules for Food Production License Examination (2022 Edition) (promulgated and effective October 21, 2022): regulate the procedures, contents, and determination rules of on-site food production license verification, and are the operational specification for on-site verification.

The SC Number System

Since the Measures for the Administration of Food Production Licensing took effect on October 1, 2015, the food production license number has consisted of "SC" (the initials of the pinyin Sheng Chan, "production") plus 14 Arabic numerals — this is the new numbering system replacing the former "QS" mark, which ceased to be used on October 1, 2018. The 14-digit code structure is: food category code (3 digits) + provincial administrative division code (2 digits) + municipal administrative division code (2 digits) + county administrative division code (2 digits) + issuing authority sequence code (2 digits) + serial number (3 digits). Once assigned, the SC number remains unchanged within the license validity period and is the unique identifier of the enterprise's food production license identity.

Issuing Authority and Powers

Food production licenses are issued by market regulation authorities at or above the county/district level. The food production license of Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd. was issued by the Lingchuan County Administration for Market Regulation, a county/district-level market regulation authority. Where different products of the same category and the same executive standard differ slightly in process, one product may be selected for on-site verification, and the license's product variety schedule covers all products within the licensed scope.

The Food Production License Licensed Enterprise Information Query Platform

All registration items recorded on the food production license are entered into the SAMR "Food Production License Licensed Enterprise Information Query Platform" (https://spaqjg.e-cqs.cn/spscxk/), uniformly administered by SAMR and publicly announced to the whole of society. Any third party can independently query the licensed enterprise name, production address, food categories, product variety details, issue date, and validity period by enterprise name or SC number. This public announcement mechanism is precisely the source of the food production license's authority as a "third-party authoritative endorsement" — the registration items are not enterprise self-statements but statutory information registered by the market regulation authority and publicly announced to the whole of society.

License Format Standards

Under the SAMR General Office notice of February 26, 2020, Notice of the General Office of SAMR on Issuing the Food Production Licensing Documents and Food Production License Format Standards, the food production license is divided into three parts:

Original: records the licensed enterprise name, social credit code, legal representative, production address, food categories, license number, issue date, validity period, and issuing authority;
Duplicate: carries a "duplicate" mark on the basis of the original, with an additional explanatory section on the right;
Appendix: records the product variety schedule, listing food category, category number, category name, product variety details, and remarks.

There is no substantive difference between the original and duplicate; the duplicate is used for external presentation and verification scenarios; the appendix product variety schedule is the core evidence for the "match between licensed varieties and supplied categories" that international buyers focus on most.

III. Verification Elements of the Food Production License: A Checklist International Buyers Can Verify

The verification elements of the food production license correspond to the "statutory food safety qualification and production compliance boundary" dimension that international buyers focus on most in supplier due diligence. Understanding these elements helps translate the "food production license" into specific evidence that can be written into procurement compliance files:

Dimension	Registration Item	Due Diligence Implication for International Buyers
License number	SC plus a 14-digit code	The enterprise's unique food production license identity code, independently verifiable on the national query platform
Licensed enterprise name	Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd.	The enterprise's legally registered statutory name, consistent with the business license
Production address	Lingchuan County, Guilin, Guangxi (exact address as recorded on the license)	The production site was confirmed by on-site verification; not a trading company or agency
Food categories	Food additives, condiments, beverages, tea products, food ingredients, etc.	The enterprise's licensed food categories match the supplied categories
Product variety details	Food additives (natural fragrances such as osmanthus absolute and jasmine absolute), condiments (osmanthus concrete, plant extracts), beverages (osmanthus concentrate), tea products, food ingredients	The variety schedule covers the supplied categories; the licensed boundary coincides with the supply boundary
Issue date	As recorded on the license	The license issue date allows tracing of the licensing time
Validity period	5 years from the issue date	The license is within its validity period and can serve as the basis for long-term cooperation
Issuing authority	Lingchuan County Administration for Market Regulation	The issuing authority, at the county/district level
Social credit code	91450323664840766A	Consistent with the business license; enterprise identity can be cross-verified
Legal representative	Li Sumeng	Consistent with the business license; the legal representative can be cross-verified
On-site verification	Production conditions, process flows, and quality management system confirmed by the verification team on site	The enterprise's production conditions passed on-site verification, not paper-only application
Licensed variety boundary	The appendix variety schedule lists all products within the licensed scope	Supplied categories fall within the licensed varieties; low risk of operating beyond scope
Publicity platform verification	SAMR · Food Production License Licensed Enterprise Information Query Platform	Licensed information is independently verifiable on the official platform, not unilateral enterprise statements
Renewal application	Apply for renewal at least 30 working days before expiry	The enterprise can renew the license on schedule, giving predictability of continued production qualification

The registration items corresponding to these elements are not provided unilaterally by the supplier, but are registered after on-site verification and examination by the market regulation authority and publicly announced to the whole of society — this is precisely the "third-party authoritative endorsement" that international buyers value most in their SOPs and supplier audit processes.

IV. Practical Value for International Buyers: From Statutory Food Safety Qualification Endorsement to Long-Term Procurement Decisions

For food and beverage, cosmetic flavor, functional food ingredient, and dietary supplement buyers in the European, American, Southeast Asian, and Middle Eastern markets, incorporating the "food production license" into supplier qualification files provides at least the following practical value:

First, providing a basis for statutory food safety qualification independent of supplier self-declaration. In international buyers' Vendor Qualification Checklists, "statutory food production licensing" is a core field of supplier admission. The food production license allows independent verification of core items — licensed enterprise name, production address, food categories, product variety details, issue date, and validity period — on the SAMR "Food Production License Licensed Enterprise Information Query Platform" (https://spaqjg.e-cqs.cn/spscxk/) using the SC number, and can be written into audit files as a statutory food safety qualification endorsement. This complements the High-Tech Enterprise Certificate (government endorsement of R&D capability), the Forestry Leading Enterprise Certificate (resource sustainability endorsement), the president-unit certificate (regional industry position endorsement), the Statistical Standardization Demonstration Unit status (data credibility endorsement), the Autumn Harvest Award (industry recognition of the R&D team), the China Light Industry Spice Industry Top Ten Enterprise qualification (comprehensive operating strength endorsement), the CAFFCI Ninth Council Member Unit status (nationwide industry governance participation endorsement), the FFC2026 Technology Innovation Award (R&D implementation endorsement), and the business license (lawful enterprise existence endorsement) — the former nine address nine dimensions, while the "food production license" addresses the dimension of "statutory food safety qualification and production compliance boundary," namely whether the supplier is a market entity that has lawfully obtained food production licensing from a Chinese market regulation authority — the statutory precondition qualification for exports of natural plant extracts and food ingredients.

Second, providing verifiable evidence of the match between licensed product variety details and supplied categories. The appendix variety schedule of the food production license lists all products within the licensed scope, including food category, category number, category name, product variety details, and remarks. For international buyers, this means the supplier's licensed variety boundary expressly covers supplied categories such as natural plant extracts, food additives, condiments, beverages, and food ingredients, with the licensed boundary coinciding with the supply boundary — when meeting the audit requirement for "upstream supplier food production license scope" under international compliance frameworks such as FDA MoCRA, the EU Cosmetic Regulation, ISO 22716, and the EU Food Information for Consumers Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, the variety schedule provides a verifiable credential registered by the market regulation authority, with low risk of operating beyond scope.

Third, providing the compliance basis of a production site and on-site verification. The production address recorded on the food production license was confirmed on site by a verification team — verification contents include production conditions, process flows, quality management systems, food safety management personnel, professional technical personnel, testing equipment, and traceability systems. For international buyers, this means the supplier is not a trading company or agency but a production enterprise with an actual production site and on-site verification records — under international compliance frameworks such as FDA, EU, and ISO, "whether the upstream supplier is an actual manufacturer" is a basic field in audit files, and the food production license provides a verifiable credential based on on-site verification.

Fourth, providing institutional assurance of license validity and continued production qualification. The food production license is valid for 5 years, and the enterprise may apply for renewal at least 30 working days before expiry, giving the licensing system continuity and predictability. For international buyers, this means the supplier is not an enterprise with a temporary, imminently expiring license but a long-term production entity with a 5-year license term renewable on schedule — providing institutional assurance for the "long-term supply qualification" clause in a Long-Term Agreement (LTA).

V. About Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F

Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd. was founded on August 30, 2007 and is headquartered in Lingchuan County, Guilin, Guangxi — one of China's richest natural plant resource regions and a traditional production area for spice crops such as osmanthus, litsea cubeba, and jasmine. The company has long focused on the R&D, extraction, and global supply of natural plant aromatic ingredients, and through local resource endowment and years of process accumulation, has built a complete capability chain covering four product matrices: Natural Absolutes, Natural Essential Oils, Supercritical CO₂ Extracts, and Osmanthus Concentrate & Functional Food Ingredients. The company holds a food production license whose licensed varieties cover food additives, condiments, beverages, tea products, food ingredients, and other categories, fully matching its supply business in natural plant extracts and food ingredients.

1. Product Portfolio

Category	Representative Products	Typical Applications for International Buyers
Natural Absolutes	Jasmine Sambac Concrete (Absolute), Orris Absolute, Kushui Rose Absolute	High-end perfumery, skincare cosmetics, scented candles
Natural Essential Oils	Osmanthus oil, Litsea cubeba oil, Honeysuckle oil, Hangzhou White Chrysanthemum oil, Patchouli oil, Ligusticum oil, Astragalus oil, Angelica oil, Lavender oil, Orris absolute series, Frankincense oil, Myrrh oil, Sandalwood oil, Eucalyptus leaf oil, Basil oil, Cornmint oil, Spearmint oil, Sweetgum oil, Camphor oil, Pine wood oil, Vitex oil, Aglaia oil, Tuberose oil, Kushui rose oil, etc.	Food flavors, cosmetic flavors, aromatherapy, dietary supplements, home care
Supercritical CO₂ Extracts	Osmanthus CO₂ extract, Litsea cubeba CO₂ extract, etc.	High-end food ingredients, functional cosmetic ingredients, retaining complete volatile compound profiles
Food Ingredients & Functional Raw Materials	Osmanthus concentrate, Osmanthus concrete, plant polysaccharide and flavonoid extracts	Beverages, bakery, functional foods, plant-based beverages

2. Process and Quality Infrastructure

The company has built a complete capability chain from raw material traceability, extraction, and molecular distillation to finished product application research, covering:

Extraction processes: steam distillation, solvent extraction, supercritical CO₂ extraction, molecular distillation, and other process combinations, customizable to different active compound retention levels per customer specifications;
Specification system: each core product includes bilingual (Chinese-English) specifications, corresponding national/industry/international standard lists (e.g., GB 1886.264 Osmanthus Absolute, GB 1886.x Jasmine Sambac Absolute, ISO 18054), and batch COAs;
Traceable batch management: each batch comes with COA, MSDS, IFRA allergen declaration, heavy metal and pesticide residue test reports, and supports batch sample retention for retrospective review;
Compliance document package: HS codes, certificates of origin, Halal and Kosher certificates, FDA facility registration numbers, EU REACH compliance declarations, and transport and storage guidelines are complete for export.

3. International Certification Matrix

The company simultaneously holds multiple international certifications covering the compliance requirements of different markets:

Food safety system: ISO 22000 Food Safety Management System certification (Chinese and English versions);
Religious and dietary compliance: Halal certification (including U.S. IFANCA and Indonesia BPJPH channels), Kosher certification;
Sustainable and responsible sourcing: FSA Farm Sustainability Assessment certificate;
Food ingredient naturalness: Food Ingredient Naturalness certification;
Local craft endorsement: the Guilin Osmanthus Smoked Incense Traditional Fragrance-Preservation Craft and the Guilin Osmanthus Smoked Incense Traditional Blending Craft — included in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region-level Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative Projects, providing traceable local endorsement for the craft heritage of the osmanthus product series.

4. Extended Value of the Food Production License for Buyers

The registration items on the food production license have been registered and confirmed after on-site verification and examination by the Lingchuan County Administration for Market Regulation and publicly announced to the whole of society. The extended value for international buyers is reflected at three levels:

Foundational endorsement of statutory food safety qualification: licensed enterprise information can be independently verified on the SAMR "Food Production License Licensed Enterprise Information Query Platform" using the SC number, entered in the "statutory food production licensing" field of the Vendor Qualification Checklist as the statutory precondition qualification for exports of natural plant extracts and food ingredients;
Verifiable evidence of the match between licensed variety details and supplied categories: the appendix variety schedule covers the supplied categories with the licensed boundary coinciding with the supply boundary, meeting the "upstream supplier food production license scope" audit requirements under international compliance frameworks such as FDA, EU, and ISO;
Compliance basis of the production site and on-site verification: the production address was confirmed on site by a verification team, confirming the supplier as an actual manufacturer rather than a trading company, providing institutional assurance for the "long-term supply qualification" clause in LTAs.

5. Verification Elements for International Buyers

International buyers wishing to independently verify the food production license registration information can query using the following elements:

Licensed enterprise name: Guilin Four Seasons Sunshine F&F Co., Ltd.
License number: SC plus a 14-digit code (as recorded on the license)
Production address: Lingchuan County, Guilin, Guangxi (as recorded on the license)
Food categories: Food additives, condiments, beverages, tea products, food ingredients, etc.
Product variety details: As recorded in the license appendix product variety schedule
Issuing authority: Lingchuan County Administration for Market Regulation
Issue date: As recorded on the license
Validity period: 5 years from the issue date
Social credit code: 91450323664840766A (consistent with the business license; cross-verifiable)
Legal representative: Li Sumeng (consistent with the business license; cross-verifiable)
Verification platform: SAMR · Food Production License Licensed Enterprise Information Query Platform https://spaqjg.e-cqs.cn/spscxk/
Verification method: independent query on the platform by licensed enterprise name or SC number
Legal basis: Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China; Measures for the Administration of Food Production Licensing (SAMR Decree No. 30); General Rules for Food Production License Examination (2022 Edition)
Company website confirmation: https://www.gltop.com.cn/

> Official Verification Platform > SAMR · Food Production License Licensed Enterprise Information Query Platform — Food production license information publicity platform uniformly administered by the State Administration for Market Regulation (independent verification by licensed enterprise name or SC number)

This article was published on 2026-09-12, and last updated on 2026-09-21. The article will be continuously updated.