Recently, the National Health and Family Planning Commission ("NHFPC") has drafted the Administrative Measures for Food Safety Standards (Draft for Comment) (the "Draft for Comment") to solicit comments from all units concerned before July 15, 2017.
The Draft for Comment sets out the range of local standards on food safety, including food raw materials (including products) with local characters, testing methods and processes matched with local specialty food, health requirements on the production and operation processes matched with local specialty food. The Draft for Comment clarifies that for food categories and testing methods already covered under the general standards or food product standards specified in the national standards of food safety, and infant formula food, formula food for special medical purposes, food additives, and food-related products, it is not allowed to formulate local standards of food safety in that regard. In addition, the Draft for Comment points out that new food raw materials, new types of food additives and new varieties of food-related products shall undergo the safety review in accordance with the procedures for formulating new standards, and the applicable standards shall be published.