Lately, the China Food and Drug Administration ("CFDA") has issued the Opinions on Propelling Food and Drug Manufacturers and Operators to Improve the Traceability System (the "Opinions").
The Opinions propose that food and drug manufacturers and operators shall respectively record their procurement of raw and supplemental materials, production process, product inspection, destinations of sales, etc. in a truthful manner according to relevant laws and regulations, and ensure the authenticity, accuracy, integrity and traceability of the data. The Opinions specify that manufacturers of drugs and medical devices shall keep record of all activities as required by their Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and the record shall be truthful, accurate, complete and traceable. Manufacturers of drugs and medical devices are encouraged to attach an exclusive logo to the minimum sales units so that operators and consumers can easily recognize it. Moreover, the Opinions also emphasize that manufacturers of cosmetics shall, subject to the Regulations on the Hygienic Supervision of Cosmetics and other relevant regulations, ensure the traceability of such activities as product production and quality control, and record the information on the flow of products entering into the circulation process so that the flow of products is traceable and defective products can be recalled in a timely manner.