China Food Fortnightly Regulatory Roundup Mid Dec - Jan 9th

Editor’s Choice: While the western world was gearing up for holiday season, right in the midst of the seasonal joy, Chinese regulators took the opportunity to show foreign food industry just how grateful they are for the influx of foreign products by promulgating a host of new and pending regulatory updates which will have significant effects on China food regulatory compliance obligations and food market access requirements. After the dust has settled and the inevitable holiday hangovers subside a number of relevant stakeholders will no doubt be faced with a headache of a different kind. Top of the list has to be the release of the second draft of the food safety law (dealt with after list below).

Recent Food Industry News in China

• Hong Kong Drafts Regulation Prohibiting Use of Nutritional Claims on Infant formula
• China Food Standard: New Requirements for Packaged Drinking Water
• China Food Safety: Illegal Food Traders Face Severe Punishment
• NHFPC Approves Nine New Food Raw Materials
• Taiwan Food Regulations: Amendments Made to Sweetener Regulations
• AQSIQ Blacklists 31 Food Importers
• Guangdong Province Launches Baby Formula Traceability System
• China Food Safety Law: Second Draft Officially Released
• Significant China Food Additive Regulatory Update: GB 2760-2014 Published
• Shenzhen Mandates Full Traceability for Imported Liqour and Dairy Sold Through E-Commerce
• Food Safety Law: Second Draft of Revised Food Safety Law Submitted for Review
• China Green Food: China to Amend Green Food Certification
• China Health Food Registration: CFDA to Optimize the Testing and Acceptance Procedures for Health Food Registration
• China Food Import: China to Crack Down on Smuggling of Meat Products
• List of China CNCA-Approved Overseas Infant Formula Manufacturers (Latest Update to 22 Dec 2014)
• Korea to Revise Regulations on Functional Foods
• China Nutrient Supplements: Significant Regulatory Updates
• New Zealand Dairy: New Requirements for Exported Dairy Products
• A Walkthrough of Food Labeling Regulations in China

Second Draft of the Food Safety Law: The major potential changes to Chinese food law outlined in the second draft of the food law are summarized below. (It’s also open for public comment until the 19th so if you have something to say contact myself or any of the staff here at Chemlinked and we can arrange submission to CFDA or advocacy on your behalf)

• Increased regulatory requirements for supply chain logistical elements
• Food storage requirements increased
• Labelling of GMO's
• Edible Agricultural Products Subject to Increased Regulation
• Genetic Food should be appropriately labelled
• New Labelling requirements
• Significant Changes in Nutritional Supplement regulations (Don't worry I'll have this covered for you soon... C-NPD :)

Turning the Screws on E-Commerce: Its all Fun and Games until......

Regulation of China's E-Commerce channels has skirted the boundaries of illegal, dangerous to conspicuously unethical for a long time. The fine line between trade of illegal and legal online goods in China has for the most part been blurred by a lack of definitive legislation or practical rules in this regulatory grey area, not to mention the heavy lobbying of the vested financial interests in this multibillion dollar industry. The backdoor into China's markets to a large extent circumvents China's recently beefed up regulatory system for imported goods. With a bit of savvy and the right connections even the major regulations in hugely significant sectors such as infant formula, health foods, alcohol can for the most part be legally avoided. You just have to browse through any of China's major E-Commerce platforms to get an idea just how endemic the problem has become. The can of worms (...maybe literally) opened by reducing regulatory requirments for imported foods is unlikely to be appreciated until China witnesses its first major E-Commerce food scandal, as they say its all fun and games until...someone drinks melanmine tainted formula .........Chinese regulators may have got a much needed dose of smelling salts in the home of China's largest port and hub for cross boarder E-Commerce Guangdong province (accounts for almost 70% of all trade in this area). While scandals are usually the impetus for development of new legislation in China, it seems Guangdong's regulators might have learned a lesson or two from past events and are uncharacteristically closing the barn door early this time with implementation of new traceability requirements for sale of infant formula, dairy, alcohol for all products sold on E-Commerce platforms in the province. Is it a sign of things to come, in a a word... YES !

If you would like more information about any of the topics covered in Chemlinked Food Portal news or are interested in launching a food product in China, please do not hesitate to contact me personally on paul@chemlinked.com or +86 18668030953