From policy to plate, China's evolving framework for food safety

BEIJING, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- "The meat is fresh and odorless, the frozen food is within its expiration date, and the vegetables are diverse and fresh." Such is the feedback of a mother in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality to other parents after she inspected the food safety at her child's school.

More than a student's parent, she also serves as a member of the school's food supervision committee. While the government typically conducts food safety inspections, parents are taking an increasingly active role in safeguarding their children's food safety across China.

They conduct unannounced, routine inspections of the school cafeteria, working alongside staff to check the food, take photos on-site and share with other parents, and even dine with the students to observe the quality and safety of the meals firsthand.

Such a mode of public participation in monitoring food safety epitomized the scenes brought about by China's consistent efforts at the state level to address food safety over the past few years.

In 2019, the Chinese government introduced a set of regulations on food safety and nutrition management in schools, which encourages parents to participate in the management of schools' food safety.

To improve the quality, efficiency and safety of school meal services while ensuring students receive nutritious and safe food, the Ministry of Education in 2020 encouraged schools to establish a central kitchen model for providing meals to students.

The model boasts centralized bulk purchasing and intensive production, and with its standardized operation, it can effectively reduce food safety risks, said Gao Qinwei, professor at Central University of Finance and Economics.

Earlier this year, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), China's top market regulator, introduced two rules that took effect in October, targeting the construction and operation of central kitchens.

As the country's first set of recommended national standards, the rules laid out requirements for site selection, overall layout, facilities, equipment, operational processes, safety and traceability, as well as emergency response and recall procedures for central kitchens.

Currently, there are 1,610 national food safety standards in place, covering over 20,000 indicators and more than 340 types of food, according to the National Health Commission earlier this month.

In addition, China has actively responded to public concerns regarding food safety and swiftly issued relevant regulations and industrial standards to address emerging food safety issues. These practices further ensure that the food industry adheres to safety standards.

Recently, the SAMR approved the hygiene requirements for the bulk transportation of edible vegetable oils in response to the cases of illegal transportation of edible oils earlier this year.

The standard, which will come into effect on Feb. 1, 2025, outlines the requirement that containers for edible vegetable oil must be packaged in dedicated food-grade containers clearly marked "for edible oil only" or "for food only."

While national policies set the framework, prosecutorial and other relevant authorities have also taken legal action against food-related crimes.

To safeguard public food safety, from 2019 to 2023, more than 41,000 individuals were prosecuted for offenses related to the production and sale of food that did not meet safety standards, as well as the production and sale of toxic or harmful food.

China prioritizes public health, with food safety at the top of its standards' agenda, Tian Jianxin, an official in charge of food standards, surveillance and assessment at the National Health Commission, said earlier this month.