China Tightens Food Safety Oversight for Livestream E-commerce Operators

On January 16, 2026, China's State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) released the Supervision and Management Regulation on the Implementation of Food Safety Subject Responsibility by Live-Streaming E-Commerce Operators, which will officially come into effect on March 20, 2026. The new regulation aims to clarify the legal obligations and standardize the business practices for operators selling food via livestreams, strengthening the entire chain of responsibility to safeguard consumer health in the rapidly expanding sector.

To ensure effective enforcement of these standards, the SAMR oversees national food safety in live commerce, while local market regulators at or above the county level manage supervision within their respective jurisdictions. This regulatory framework applies to a broad range of stakeholders, including livestream e-commerce platforms, studio operators, marketing personnel, and service agencies involved in food sales.

The specific responsibilities and obligations for these different entities are detailed below:

1. Livestream E-Commerce Platforms

Platform operators are responsible for establishing and implementing a suite of food safety management measures, including:

1.1 Identity verification and registration

Platforms must verify and register the authentic information of live-stream studio operators, including their name, Unified Social Credit Code (or ID number), physical business address, contact details, and administrative licenses. This information must be reviewed and updated at least every six months.

For food producers and traders, platforms must audit business qualifications, such as food production/operation licenses and filings for pre-packaged food sales.

Before a marketing individual performs their first food-related livestream, the platform must require the studio operator to provide verified identity information for that individual. The platform is responsible for providing technical support and supervising the studio operator's verification process.

1.2 Training and education mechanisms         

Platforms must establish a food safety training mechanism for marketing personnel, providing annual sessions on laws, regulations, and food safety knowledge. Induction training must be organized before any individual conducts their first food livestream.

Platforms shall organize annual study sessions for studio operators and service agencies to review food safety regulations and communicate the latest requirements from Market Regulation departments.

1.3 Institutions and personnel

Platforms must establish a food safety management department and appoint Food Safety Directors and Food Safety Officers proportionate to their transaction scale and risk profile. If a Director is not appointed, a designated Food Safety Officer shall fulfill those duties.

The primary person in charge of the platform bears full responsibility for food safety and must consult Food Safety Directors and Food Safety Officers before making major decisions.

1.4 Risk control and disposal

Platforms must develop a Food Safety Risk Control List based on their specific operational risks, focusing on operator qualifications, prohibited food items, and activity compliance. A robust mechanism for intelligent monitoring, screening, dispatching, and rapid response must be established.

Platforms must use technical monitoring and real-time inspections to identify risks, pushing alerts and warnings to studio operators immediately. They must also conduct targeted self-inspections based on sampling and recall data released by provincial-level (or above) regulators.

Food Safety Officers shall identify risks and report major issues to the Director. The Director analyzes issues and evaluates management status periodically. The primary person must convene monthly food safety dispatch meetings to review status and form the Monthly Food Safety Dispatch Minutes.

Upon discovering illegal acts, platforms must immediately stop the behavior, report it to the local county-level regulator, and apply measures such as warnings, functional restrictions, traffic throttling, suspension of streams, account closure, prohibition of re-registration of accounts, and blacklisting.

1.5 Consumer rights protection

Platforms must provide a convenient food safety complaint and reporting function, such as a prominent button or link on the livestream page. Upon receiving such complaints or reports, livestream e-commerce platform operators shall handle them in a timely manner.

2. Livestream E-Commerce Studio Operators

Studio operators must strictly fulfill their primary responsibilities through the following compliance measures:

2.1 Pre-stream compliance auditing

Operators shall establish a pre-stream compliance review mechanism. Before every food-related livestream, they must submit verified identity information of the marketing personnel to the platform. Furthermore, they are required to audit the food products, presentation, costumes, and props to ensure full compliance with food safety laws and regulations.

2.2 Disclosure and updates of information

Food producers and traders operating live-stream rooms must prominently display authentic and valid information, or accessible links, regarding their Food Production/Operation Licenses or notifications for pre-packaged food sales on their account homepage. If any registered information changes, updated details must be submitted to the platform operator within three (3) working days.

2.3 Management staffing

Food producers and traders conducting live-stream e-commerce must establish and implement food safety management systems in accordance with the Provisions on the Supervision and Administration of the Implementation of Main Responsibility for Food Safety by Food Production and Business Operation Enterprises. This includes appointing food safety management personnel proportionate to the business scale and risk profile. Operators who are not formal food producers or traders shall follow these requirements as a reference for best practices.

2.4 Sampling, inspection, and risk screening

Operators are required to establish a food sampling and inspection management system. Sampling tests must be conducted based on food categories, risk levels, and consumer complaints. Any food product that fails inspection must not be sold via livestream. If a failure is identified during a live broadcast, the stream must be terminated immediately. The operator must notify the original food producer/trader and report the incident to the local county-level Market Regulation department.

3. Livestream E-Commerce Marketing Personnel

Marketing personnel are required to adhere to the following professional codes of conduct and legal obligations:

• It is prohibited to sell foods that are banned from live-streaming sales through live-streaming rooms.

• Food-related information shall be released truthfully, comprehensively, and accurately, and live-streaming e-commerce activities shall be conducted in accordance with relevant requirements.

• It is prohibited to engage in fraud, falsification, or to refuse to participate when receiving required training.

4. Livestream E-Commerce Service Agencies

Service agencies shall fulfill their supervisory and management obligations through the following requirements:

4.1 Training and management: Strengthen training for live-streaming marketing personnel on relevant laws, regulations, and food safety knowledge, reminding them to fulfill their statutory obligations during live-streaming activities. Establish and improve mechanisms for handling illegal conduct by live-streaming marketing personnel, and promptly take necessary measures when food safety violations are identified.

4.2 Product selection verification: Agencies providing product selection services must follow relevant regulatory requirements to screen food products and maintain complete records for traceability and auditing purposes.

4.3 Prohibitive obligations: It is prohibited to organize, instigate, or assist live-streaming studio operators or marketing personnel in engaging in conduct that violates food safety laws and regulations.

5. Others

Where live-stream content constitutes commercial advertising, it shall comply with the requirements of the Advertising Law of the People's Republic of China. Live-stream operators and marketing personnel are required to ensure the authenticity and legality of advertising claims and must not engage in false or misleading promotions.

Regulatory authorities will place particular emphasis on the implementation of food safety responsibilities and risk control measures during supervision and inspections. Technical monitoring records generated during live-stream activities may be used as electronic evidence in administrative enforcement actions. In addition, foods sold through live-stream e-commerce will be incorporated into the annual food safety sampling inspection plan, with supervisory sampling and risk monitoring carried out accordingly. Foods that fail inspections, as well as the relevant producers and operators, will be dealt with in accordance with the law.