Politics · China · 19 hrs ago
China Seeks Public Comment on Draft Food Safety Law Changes
China’s market regulator has published a draft revision of the country’s food safety law and is seeking public comments.
The current law dates to 2009 and was comprehensively revised in 2015; the draft would expand it from 154 articles to 191.
It would require food businesses to install cameras at key risk points and share live footage with local regulators, while online restaurants would show food preparation to the public.
New sections would set rules for online food platforms and school meals, including making school principals responsible for food safety.
The draft also proposes registering food-additive sellers and bringing infant food supplements under special-food oversight.
It would adjust penalties to better match the seriousness of violations and limit consumer punitive compensation claims to people buying for everyday consumption.
Prosecutors could also seek punitive compensation in civil public-interest cases involving harm to society; the draft remains open for public comment.
China’s State Administration for Market Regulation has opened a draft revision of the Food Safety Law to public comment.
The draft would expand the law from 154 articles to 191, adding 37 articles and revising 93.
It proposes real-time video monitoring for key food production and business risks, with some online food providers required to stream food preparation publicly.
The draft adds dedicated sections on online food businesses and school food safety, and introduces a filing system for food additive sellers.
It also revises penalties and limits consumer punitive-damages claims to people buying for everyday consumption.
- Who
- China’s State Administration for Market Regulation is seeking public comment on the draft. The proposed changes cover food businesses, platforms, schools and regulators.
- What
- A draft revision of the Food Safety Law proposes stronger oversight and changes to legal responsibilities and penalties.
- When
- Published on October 11, 2026; the public comment period is underway.
- Where
- China.
- Why
- The draft aims to strengthen food safety oversight across the supply chain and address new industry risks and enforcement challenges.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Smart regulation being written into law can strengthen businesses’ primary responsibility and help grasp their actual production and business conditions; it can solve some current regulatory difficulties and challenges.
While obtaining traffic and earning revenue, platforms must also earnestly shoulder their responsibilities and obligations for food safety.
Establishing a filing system for food additive sales is an innovation in this revision.
This revision has also considered how to apply the principle that penalties should be proportionate to violations.
China’s current Food Safety Law was enacted.
The law underwent a comprehensive revision.
China News Service reported that the market regulator had opened the draft revision for public comment.
- Current law
- 154 articles
- Draft law
- 191 articles
- Changes
- 37 articles added; 93 revised
- Online monitoring
- Key-risk video feeds would connect to local market regulation departments’ information systems.
- Schools
- The draft establishes a principal- or kindergarten-director-responsibility system and supervised shared-meal arrangements.
- Food additive sales
- The draft introduces a seller filing system.
Sources
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