China Tightens Food Safety Grip with Comprehensive Guideline

China Tightens Grip on Food Safety with Comprehensive Guideline

In a significant move to bolster food safety, China has unveiled a new comprehensive guideline that aims to strengthen oversight across the entire food supply chain, from farms to consumers. This policy, jointly issued by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council, outlines stricter controls and enforcement measures to enhance public health protection and ensure food quality.

The new guideline emphasizes greater coordination between regulatory bodies and a focus on improving food safety at every stage of production, distribution, and sale. A key component of the reforms includes the establishment of a traceability system for agricultural products, enabling better monitoring from farms to markets. This system is designed to prevent unsafe products from entering the food supply while allowing authorities to respond quickly to any safety issues that might arise.

The policy also tightens regulations surrounding food production and business licensing. Producers and distributors will now face more stringent checks before receiving licenses, and compliance will be rigorously enforced at both the provincial and local levels. Traditional food producers will be required to meet modern safety standards while preserving cultural practices.

In addition to improving food production standards, the policy addresses food storage and transportation. New safety protocols for warehouses and logistics companies aim to ensure that food is stored and transported under controlled conditions, preventing contamination or spoilage.

As online food sales continue to grow, the document emphasizes the responsibilities of e-commerce platforms and livestreaming hosts in selling food products online. It calls for "ensuring the accountability of online food sales entities and strengthening the collaborative governance of food safety issues in online sales" to improve regulation of the emerging sector. Furthermore, it requires the establishment of a comprehensive regulatory mechanism for food service.

For imported food products, the policy introduces a risk management framework to ensure that all foreign foods entering China meet domestic safety standards. This includes additional oversight of food sold through cross-border e-commerce channels.

The new guideline comes amidst growing concerns about food safety in China. Recent incidents, such as the discovery of spoiled mushrooms and reprocessed leftover food at Yangmingyu Braised Chicken and Rice franchise stores, and the revelation of excessive phosphate levels in water-injected shrimp sold online, have highlighted the need for stricter regulations and enforcement.

With this comprehensive guideline, China aims to take a significant step towards ensuring the safety and quality of its food supply, protecting the health of its citizens, and building trust in its food industry.