The China Food and Drug Administration ("CFDA") has issued the Circular on Issuing the General Rules on Examination of Food Operation License (for Trial Implementation) (the "Circular"), which came into operation on the date of its publication.
The Circular indicates that, food operation businesses should be staffed by food safety personnel, and such food safety personnel must be trained and exanimated and those who have obtained food safety related qualifications specified by the national or industrial regulations can be exempt from the examination. Internet food operators having no physical stores should have fixed sites for food operations adapting to the varieties and quantity of food they operate, and they may not apply for project of production and sale of all food or sale of bulk and cooked food. The Circular explicitly requires that, catering service businesses should develop a publicity system for using food additives. Additionally, the Circular provides that canteens of vocational schools, regular secondary schools, elementary schools, special education schools, and kindergartens may not in theory apply for project of production and sale of uncooked food.