An Overview of Food Safety Proposals Disclosed During China’s Two Sessions

The two sessions are a critical annual parliamentary meeting between China's two largest political bodies, namely the National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). China has renewed its pledge to transition to an economy fueled by domestic consumption and has earmarked the food sector and food safety as a key sector.

On May 22^nd, 2020, the Third Session of the 13th National People's Congress of China opened in Beijing. Food safety was an important topic discussed during the meetings.

Voluntary Recall System

Deputy Yan Qi, Chief Director of Chongqing Taoranju Catering Cultural Group Co., Ltd, suggests supplementing the "Voluntary Recall System" in the Food Safety Law and other relevant laws and regulations.

According to her suggestion, the penalties should be reduced for food producers or operators who stop producing or circulating unqualified food products and immediately implement a product recall and/or take other effective measures to reduce or eliminate food safety risks.^[1] This system would urge enterprises to recall unqualified food products voluntarily.

Food Safety Big Data

Deputy Cheng Yongbo, president of Nanjing University of Finance & Economics, proposes to support food safety through the use of a big data-driven early warning system. Currently, Nanjing University of Finance & Economics is working with Zhejiang Gongshang University on building a comprehensive public service online decision platform to improve food quality and safety. The platform is driven by big data and helps monitor food products throughout the supply chain using technologies like ion mobility spectrometry and Raman spectrometry.^[2]

Other Food Safety Proposals

Deputy Yang Zhensheng and Deputy Hu Jianwen support public interest suits to foster a strong public awareness of food safety requirements and consumer rights and harness this force to positively influence market forces.^[3]
Deputy Yu Xuewen suggests establishing a credit system for food operators.^[4]
Deputy Lu Jiang, director of the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment, called for a food nutrition law.^[5]
Deputy Hua Xiaoli proposes to enhance safety control on agricultural products by designating food safety responsibilities to relevant stakeholders.^[6]