Premium Marine Delicacies
Dried Abalone
Wild and farmed abalone, sun-dried and graded by head count
Dried
Export market · Hong Kong
Dried Seafood and Bird's Nest Supply for Hong Kong
Hong Kong is where the dried seafood trade sets its standards. Dealers along Des Voeux Road West in Sheung Wan grade abalone by head count and fish maw by thickness, and banquet chefs judge every lot by how it braises. Thailand-based BSA Food Products supplies Hong Kong importers, wholesalers and restaurant groups, with species, origin and grade stated on every offer and documents prepared for clearance under Hong Kong’s food safety rules.
- Regulator
- Centre for Food Safety (FEHD)
- Label language
- English, Chinese or both
- Buying peaks
- Lunar New Year, Mid-Autumn and banquet season
- Freight
- Sea or air for dried goods; reefer for frozen
What Hong Kong buyers order, and when
Demand follows the banquet calendar. Wedding dinners, corporate year-end banquets and the weeks before Lunar New Year call for whole abalone, thick maw and large conpoy, and Mid-Autumn brings a second gifting peak for boxed delicacies and bird’s nest. Poon choi, the layered festive basin that began in the walled villages and is now sold by restaurants across the city, puts dried oysters, sea cucumber and fish maw into a single order.
Dried oysters have their own festive role: the Cantonese name, ho si, sounds like the words for good things, so they appear on a great many New Year menus. Between the peaks, dim sum and Cantonese kitchens buy broken conpoy, dried shrimp and mid-grade maw for soups and sauces, and live-seafood restaurants take live abalone where import rules and air routings make it feasible.
Import rules: CFS, importer registration and CITES licensing
Imported food is overseen by the Centre for Food Safety (CFS), part of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD). Under the Food Safety Ordinance, food importers register with FEHD through the food importer registration scheme, and the CFS may inspect consignments. Documents commonly prepared for a Hong Kong shipment of dried seafood cover the commercial invoice, packing list and a certificate of origin, with a health certificate from the exporting country’s competent authority where the product or the buyer calls for one.
Species listed under CITES, such as some tropical sea cucumbers, are also subject to licensing by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), and they travel with CITES export permits from the origin country. Because the scientific name appears on every offer, your licensing can be checked against the actual shipment. Rules change, so confirm the current position with the CFS, AFCD or your customs broker before ordering.
Labels and onward sale
Prepackaged food sold in Hong Kong is labeled in English, Chinese or both. Many importers bring delicacies in bulk and repack under their own brand, while others take finished retail or gift boxes from our private-label service with bilingual labels already applied.
Some Hong Kong traders also sell on to other markets. If goods are meant for anywhere other than Hong Kong, tell us at the inquiry stage: we document each shipment for its declared destination and do not route goods to sidestep another market’s import rules.
Sea, air and reefer options for Hong Kong
Hong Kong sits close to many Asian producing regions, so dried goods can go by sea in lined cartons, often consolidated with other lines, or by air when a festive order needs to catch up. Frozen abalone and sea cucumber travel in reefer containers, and chilled or live products go by air only, packed for the planned routing. The loading records and photographs we share before departure are described on our export and quality assurance page.
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FAQ
Buying for Hong Kong: questions
Do you quote abalone in the head counts Hong Kong dealers use?
Yes. Each offer gives the head count used in the Sheung Wan trade together with the measured pieces per kilogram, so you can set our quotation directly beside your current stock. Grading details are on our dried abalone page.
Does the food importer registration apply to you or to us?
The scheme applies to the business importing into Hong Kong, so check that your company is registered with FEHD before the first consignment lands. We supply the invoices, packing lists, lot codes and origin details that go with each shipment.
Can you supply bird’s nest to Hong Kong?
We can offer cleaned, house-farmed whole cups and strips, with the cleaning facility, grade and moisture declared for each lot. Documentation for Hong Kong is confirmed before quoting, and nitrite or other laboratory tests can be added per lot.
When should Lunar New Year orders be confirmed?
As early as possible. Large-head abalone, thick maw and big conpoy grades tighten ahead of the festival, and agreeing specifications early leaves the widest choice of lots. Request a quote with your target grades and the arrival window you need.
Trade inquiries
Partner with BSA Food Products
Tell us the products, grades and destination you have in mind. An export specialist will reply within one business day with availability, specifications and a formal quotation.