BEIJING — China will tighten regulation and revise standards on an extensive range of food and drugs, according to the national food and drug watchdog on Feb 13.
The State Council has recently issued national safety plans on food and drug safety for the 13th Five-year Plan period (2016-2020), calling for improved supervision and safety net, said the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA).
The plans require whole-process control and whole chain regulation on food and drugs, especially on source control and risk prevention. Food tests meeting quality standards should be up to 97 percent.
An inter-departmental mechanism for food and drug safety will be improved as a better deterrent against offenses.
A total of 1.1 million cases concerning food safety have been handled nationwide from 2013 to 2015. Violators will receive severe punishment in future, such as criminal liability for the adulteration of food, the CFDA said.
The plans also said that no less than 300 food safety standards and about 3,050 drug safety standards must be revised during the five year period.