China is intensifying food safety oversight to protect consumers and improve nationwide standards. A recent report by the NPC Standing Committee’s law enforcement inspection team highlighted this effort.
The report, submitted to the 18th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress, confirmed that food safety remains stable and improving. However, authorities stressed the need to strengthen monitoring and raise quality standards across the entire supply chain.
China’s Food Safety Law, first enacted in 2009, underwent revisions in 2015 and amendments in 2018 and 2021. This year, lawmakers updated it again to regulate bulk transport of liquid foods and enhance supervision of infant-formula milk.
During inspections from May to September, teams visited food producers, online platforms, schools, childcare centers, and aged care institutions. They especially focused on centralized meal provision units, including school canteens and online delivery services.
Meanwhile, 93.1 percent of elementary and secondary schools have parent committees supervising canteen operations. Over 160,000 supervisors conduct monthly visits, and complaint channels for teachers and students have been simplified. By the end of 2024, local governments invested 10.3 billion yuan ($1.45 billion) to upgrade school dining facilities. The “internet plus bright kitchen and clear stove” initiative now covers 98.5 percent of monitored sites.
Furthermore, authorities issued 1,693 national food safety standards covering more than 340 food categories and 23,000 safety indicators. This framework supports supervision across the entire food chain. Nearly 3.1 million food producers appointed 1.15 million food safety directors and 9.49 million officers. Standard practices, including daily checks, weekly reviews, and monthly meetings, are now widely implemented.
The inspection team made eight key recommendations. These include strengthening whole-chain supervision, enforcing standards, improving monitoring, supervising online food sales, refining imported food regulations, promoting social co-governance, and initiating a comprehensive revision of the Food Safety Law.
Expert Zhang Yongjian said that recent law revisions demonstrate China’s high priority on food safety. He added that emerging business formats like online food delivery require clear accountability. Zhang also noted that school food safety remains a top public concern. Consequently, he recommended multi-stakeholder collaboration to raise standards and enhance oversight.
Ultimately, these measures aim to prevent incidents, build public trust, and ensure consistent compliance across China’s food industry.
