State Administration for Market Regulation Launches Network Food Safety Compliance and Quality Improvement Initiative

State Administration for Market Regulation Announces New Measures to Improve Online Food Safety Compliance

On March 16, the State Administration for Market Regulation announced that to further strengthen the responsibilities of online food trading platforms and operators, it is launching a series of actions to enhance compliance and quality in online food safety.

First, strict regulation of live-streaming sales will be enforced. Platforms, live rooms, and hosts are required to strictly follow the “Supervision and Management Regulations on Food Safety Responsibilities for Live-Stream E-commerce Operators,” which took effect on March 20. Responsibilities will be clarified, sales bans will be enforced, and misleading marketing language will be prevented. Second, the qualification of online food products will be rigorously checked. Platforms must perform substantive reviews to prevent the sale of food products without proper licensing, using false qualifications, or misusing others’ credentials. Third, false advertising will be severely punished. Food operators are required to truthfully display information about the origin, ingredients, and functions of their products, and deceptive language related to disease prevention or treatment will be strictly prohibited.

During the campaign, special inspections will target issues such as live-streamed food sales, online food sales, health foods, and influencer foods. Enforcement efforts will focus on counterfeit and substandard products, and platforms will be encouraged to sign self-regulation agreements. Cross-regional and online-offline coordinated supervision will be strengthened to ensure traceability from source to risk management.

The Administration stated that it will implement the strictest supervision measures to help platform companies improve compliance management and enhance product safety, creating a secure and trustworthy online food consumption environment, and fully safeguarding the public’s food safety.