The National Health Commission ("NHC") has recently distributed the Circular on Further Stepping up Administration of Local Food Safety Standards (the "Circular").
The Circular expressly states that local standards include food safety requirements for local specialty food, testing methods and specifications affiliated to the standards for local specialty food, etc. No local standard shall be formulated for foods that have been covered by national food safety standards, infant formula food, or foods for special medical purpose. In addition, the Circular states that record-filing documents, including the announcement on release of a local standard, the full text of such standard, and explanatory notes, should be officially submitted to the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment ("CFSA") within 30 working days after the date when this local standard is published, and electronic copies of these documents should be simultaneously submitted in the record-filing system. Furthermore, the Circular requires that each administrative department of health at provincial level shall, according to comments and advice from the CFSA, improve its plan for clear-up of local standards, prepare a work report, and submit it to the CFSA by October 15, 2019. The CFSA will combine together information on the clear-up completed in different regions, and form a work report for such clear-up by November 15, 2019.