The Chinese authorities are starting to implement more stringent food safety regulations under revised laws.
The Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China comes into effect this month. It consists of 154 articles, adding 50 to the 2009 version, as well as changing aspects of the previous regulation.
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China's National People's Congress said the new legislation was designed to "ensure food safety" and "protect the public health". The law addresses food safety issues in specific categories that have proven problematic for the Chinese food sector, including infant formula and functional health food, as well as the growing market for online food retail.
Infant formula manufacturers are required to register the raw ingredients, additives, formula product and labels with the China Food and Drug Administration. Regulations also prohibit the sub-packaging of product and prevent companies using the same formula mix in different brands.
In areas where food aims to treat specific illnesses, the law states that labels must not refer to the prevention or treatment of disease and must stress that the product cannot replace medication. Like infant formula, products that are intended to have a functional health benefit must be registered with the China's food and drug administration..
In a first for China, the authorities also moved to tackle the issue of food purchased online and increase supervision of products sold over the Internet. The law requires third-party platforms to register and accept food safety responsibility. If consumer rights are infringed, the consumer will then be entitled to claim compensation from the online food retailer as well as the food manufacturer.
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By GlobalDataThe regulations will be backed up by tougher enforcement powers as a deterrent for those who might otherwise flout the new stricter requirements. Under the auspices of the new legislation, if actions are considered criminal, the individual will be responsible for criminal liability. Compensation levels have been increased to as much as 30 times the cost of the original product.
Click here to view the full text from the National People's Congress.
