Food Law in Asia: Chinese law makes celebrities liable in food ...

Food Law in Asia

Sticking to the rules? Food production in China has new guidelines

[BEIJING] China has approved legislation to make celebrities who advertise a food product that is later found to be substandard liable for damages. 

The ruling, with details on potential punishments still under discussion, is part of a raft of new regulations in the new food safety law passed by the cabinet last month (28 February) after a series of food scandals. . . .

Repeated food safety incidents have compelled China to overhaul its food monitoring system. Under the new law a national commission to oversee how the rules are implemented will be established.

Luo Yunbo, dean of the Food Science and Nutritional Engineering College at China Agriculture University in Beijing, says he considered the food safety commission the most important progress.

Currently, China uses two sets of compulsory food standards — one for food hygiene, issued by the Ministry of Health, and the other for food quality, issued by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

The two sets of standards sometimes contradict each other causing confusion among supervisors and producers, says Luo. "The commission is expected to improve coordination and eliminate loopholes," he told SciDev.Net.