China | Food Safety Africa Magazine

China releases drafts of 38 national food safety standards for public comment

Feb 23, 2023Feb 23, 2023

CHINA – The Department of Food Safety Standards, Risk Surveillance and Assessment under the China National Health Commission (NHC) has released the exposure drafts of 38 national food safety standards, which include 12 newly established standards, 21 newly revised standards, and 5 amendment sheets. The majority of these drafts deal with standards for contamination limits, food items, nutritional fortification substances,…

China implements revised Law on the Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products

Jan 17, 2023Jan 20, 2023

CHINA – China has enacted its Revised Law on the Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products that will essentially strengthen food safety protocols through certification and traceability systems. The law, which was first passed in 2006, has been essential in enhancing rural economies and safeguarding the safety of food. The revised law strengthens the responsibilities of local authorities and business…

China reopens multimillion-euro market, lifts ban on Irish beef imports

Jan 10, 2023Jan 16, 2023

CHINA – The General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) has eased restrictions that had been in place since 2020, allowing for the resumption of Irish beef shipments to China. The country halted beef shipments in May 2020 following an incidence of atypical BSE also referred to as mad cow disease. Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is a neurological disease in…

Researchers develop fluorescence sensing platform for visual monitoring of food safety

Aug 31, 2022Aug 31, 2022

CHINA – A research team led by Prof. Jiang Changlong from the Institute of Solid State, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has designed a method that could aid in the development of food quality control evaluation systems for gallic acid. The research team constructed a multi-emitting europium metal organic framework fluorophore for…

China unveils 36 new national food safety standards

Aug 23, 2022Aug 23, 2022

CHINA – The China National Health Commission (NHC) together with the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) have unveiled 36 new national food safety standards and 3 amendment ones. The 36 new standards include 1 standard for contaminants limit, 3 for food products, 3 for food-related products, 9 for nutritional fortifiers, 9 for food testing methods and 11 for food…

China to enhance food safety inspection of government’s food donations

Apr 21, 2022Apr 21, 2022

CHINA – Shanghai, one of the major economic and population centers of China, is set to enhance food safety inspection of the government’s gift packs for residents under lockdown, following some complaints about their quality. According to Tao Ailian, a Senior Official of the Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation, the city’s market watchdog has found quality problems, mainly relating to…

China grants Kenyan avocado exporters access to domestic market dotted with strict requirements

Mar 1, 2022Mar 1, 2022

KENYA – Kenyan avocado exporters will now have opportunity to sell their fresh produce to the populous Far East nation, China, which had initially in 2019 only allowed in the fruit in its frozen form. The opening comes after a successful completion of the rigorous Pest Risk Analysis carried out by Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) and the National…

China publishes new rules to fast-track gene editing of crops in country, UK to follow suite

Jan 27, 2022Jan 27, 2022

CHINA – China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has published new regulations for the approval of gene-edited plants, amid a raft of measures aimed at overhauling the country’s seed industry, which is seen as a weak link in efforts to ensure national food security. The draft rules stipulate that once gene-edited plants have completed pilot trials, a production certificate…

China suspends Canadian beef imports due to Mad cow disease concerns

Jan 18, 2022Jan 18, 2022

CANADA – The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) has confirmed that China, the meat industry’s third largest global market, has halted imports of beef from Canada following the discovery of a case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease, on a farm in Alberta, Canada. BSE is an incurable and invariably fatal neurodegenerative disease of cattle. Symptoms…

China’s GM corn, soybean obtain safety approval for production

Jan 14, 2022Jan 14, 2022

CHINA – Consequent to nearly 10 years of food and environmental safety assessments, genetically modified (GM) corn and soybean involved in a pilot program in China, have obtained safety certificates for production and application. “The application of traits that resist pests and tolerate herbicides and drought has improved the competitiveness of genetically modified crops, such as corn and soybean, in…

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