There had been many complaints from abroad customers about bitter taste after consuming pine nuts since 2009. The strange after taste happened occasionally and had been unable to find a cause for bitter taste so this phenomenon caused many returns at that time.

Later it was found that bitter taste comes from improper use of Huashan Pine Nuts (Pinus Armandii) and announced Huashan variety is destined only for processing food industrial use, not for direct consumption.  

In 2011,the EU Health & Consumer Protection Direction General (DG SANCO), the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council Foundation (INC) and China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Foodstuffs, Native produce & Animal by-products (CCCFNA) called a meeting to put forward a proposal and announced a new rule on Chinese Pine Nut Kernels Export into EU that SGS test is a must in order to avoid mixture of Pinus Armandii.

After 4 years exclusivity of SGS test, it was announced both SGS and Eurofins are qualified to do Chinese pine nut export test by CCCFNA since August 2015.