Authority Issued

• Industry Standard Management Measures

The State Administration of Market (SAMR) Regulation issued the Draft of the Industry Standard Management Measures and solicited public opinions on May 19th 2023. Subject to the deadline on 18th June 2023. The revised regulations including:

-Clarifying the positioning and scope of industry standards;

-Clarifying the responsible parties for industry standards;

-Clarifying the development process of industry standards;

-Adding content related to industry standard implementation and review;

-Adding content related to industry standard supervision and management.

• General Safety Requirements for Food Contact Materials and Products

On 19 April 2023, the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment issued a draft of the National Food Safety Standard General Safety Requirements for Food Contact Materials and Products and solicited public opinion. Subject to the deadline on May 15th 2023.

• Blind Box Management

On 15 June 2023, the SAMR Regulation issued announcement No. 39/2023 of the Printing and Distributing the Code of Conduct for Blind Box Management (Trial), along with technical interpretation.

Food and cosmetics, which do not have the conditions to ensure quality and safety and consumer rights, should not be sold in the form of blind boxes;

Blind box operators should publicize key information such as commodity name, commodity type, commodity style, extraction rules, commodity distribution, limited quantity of commodities, extraction probability, commodity value range and so on in a significant way to ensure that consumers know before buying;

Encourage blind box operators to establish a guaranteed mechanism to guide rational consumption by setting the withdrawal time, the upper limit of the withdrawal amount and the upper limit of the number of times.

• Quantitatively Packaged Goods Amended by SAMR

On 16 March 2023, the SAMR issued the Measures for the Supervision and Management of Quantitative Packaging Commodities | Revised Edition in 2023. The "quantitatively packaged goods" refers to prepackaged goods with uniform quality, volume, length, area, counting, and labeling within a certain range for the purpose of sales. The regulation will be taken effect on 1st June 2023.

In order to further well implement the regulations and reduce the waste of packaging in the production and business activities of enterprises, a 12-month transition period is given based on the original implementation date for goods with a net content of less than 1g.

• Law Enforcement Guide for Advertising Absolute Terms

On 20 March 2023, the SAMR issued the Law Enforcement Guide for Absolute Terms of Advertising, which aims to provide guidance for the market supervision departments to carry out the supervision and enforcement of absolute terms of advertising. The person in charge of the Advertising Supervision Department of the SAMR answered a reporter’s question.

• Measurement Comparison | Revised Edition 2023

On 16 March 2023, the SAMR issued announcement No. 69/2023 of the Measures for the Administration of Measurement Comparison | Revised Edition 2023, along with technical interpretation. The “measurement comparison” refers to the process of comparing the values reproduced by the same measurement benchmark, measurement standard, and standard substance with the same accuracy level or within the specified measurement uncertainty under the specified conditions. The regulation will be taken effect on 1st June 2023.

• Sampling Inspection on the Quality of 90 Kinds of Products

On 10 April 2023, the SAMR issued detailed rules for the implementation of national supervision and sampling inspection on the quality of 90 kinds of products, including composite films and bags, non-composite films and bags, food packaging paper and cardboard materials, paper cups, food contact paper containers, waste food processors, mooncake over-packaging, etc.

• 5 New FS Standards and Revisions in the Process of Public Review

On 10 May 2023, the National Food Safety Standards Review Committee drafted the 5 National Food Safety Standards and solicited public opinions from May 2023 to June 2023.

• Inspection and Assessment of Food Safety Knowledge among Shanghai Food Practitioners

On 30 May 2023, Shanghai Market Supervision and Administration Bureau issued the Management Measures for the Supervision, Random Inspection and Assessment of Food Safety Knowledge Among Shanghai Food Practitioners. The regulation will be taken effect from 1st July 2023 to 30th June 2028. Clarifying the obligations of producers and operators, the implementation of spot checks and assessments, the frequency of spot checks and assessments, the content of spot checks and assessments, the requirements for spot checks and assessments, and the handling of unqualified spot checks and assessments.

• Food additive Erythritol

The China Food Additives & Ingredients Association issued the draft of the National Food Safety Standard Food Additive Erythritol and solicited public opinion on July 11st 2023. Subject to the deadline on 31st July 2023.

• New National FS Standards Project Plan

On 30 June 2023, the Association of the National Food Safety Standards Review Committee drafted the 2023 National Food Safety Standards Project Plan.

• Acorn Ahell Brown

The China Food Additives & Ingredients Association issued the draft of the National food safety Standard Food Additive Acorn Shell Brown and solicited public opinion on July 26th 2023. Subject to the deadline on 31st August 2023.

• Vegetable Fat Powder

On 27 July 2023, the China Beverage Industry Association issued a notice of the industry standard Vegetable Fat Powder and solicited public opinion. Subject to the deadline on August 6th 2023.

• The Establishment of National Food Safety Standards in 2024

On 11 July 2023, the National Health Commission issued announcement No. 242/2023 of the establishment of national food safety standards for 2024. Subject to the deadline on July 30th 2023. Focusing on addressing food safety issues that have been proven to exist through food safety risk assessment results, and prioritizing the development and revision of urgently needed food safety standards for risk prevention and control.

• Measures for the Administration of Food Business License and Filing

On 12 July 2023, the SAMR Regulation issued announcement No. 78/2023 of the Measures for the Administration of Food Business License and Filing, along with technical interpretation.

Clarifying the requirements for only selling prepackaged food for filing, adjusting relevant licensing matters such as reporting matters, simplifying food business licensing procedures, compressing the time limit for food business licensing, and promoting the construction of information technology for food business licensing and filing;

Adjusting and refining food business categories and items, adjusting the labeling of food business entities, and adjusting the conditions for food business licenses;

Scientifically refine the legal liability for changes in food business licenses, and establish legal liability for illegal acts of only selling prepackaged food.

Local alert

Top 8 of food safety issues reported with SAMRs from April 2023 to June 2023 were ranked as below. The pesticide residues, abuse of additives, microbiological contamination, and quality failures are the top contributors.

Industrial News

• National Food Safety Standard Tracking evaluation Seminar

On 8 March 2023, National Food Safety Risk Assessment Center held a seminar on tracking and evaluating national food safety standards. Continuing to carry out the construction of the "most stringent standard" system by benchmarking against international standards and combining with domestic standards. Food safety standard follow-up and evaluation work is a key link in food safety standard management. It is necessary to innovate the work method of food safety national standard follow-up evaluation, comprehensively improve the quality and pertinence of standard follow-up evaluation work, and strengthen the risk communication work of food safety standards.

This meeting clarified the direction of follow-up evaluation work in the next step, provided guidance for the development of food safety standard follow-up evaluation work in various places, and played a positive role in promoting the effective implementation of new plans and improving the quality of food safety standard follow-up evaluation work.