Chen Wenqing orders tougher food safety enforcement
On.cc · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
Chen Wenqing (陳文清), a member of the Communist Party Politburo and secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, chaired a special meeting on Thursday, September 24, and called for strict legal action against crimes and violations that endanger food safety.
He said China’s overall food safety situation remains stable and improving, but incidents that breach the bottom line still occur from time to time.
Chen urged political-legal authorities to work more closely with departments including market regulation and agriculture, and to use stricter law enforcement to address prominent food safety problems.
He also called for faster, comprehensive revisions to the Food Safety Law, including clearer rules for fresh-food e-commerce, food delivery and livestream sales.
Key Points
- The September 24 meeting was chaired by Chen Wenqing, who said protecting food safety means safeguarding the public’s health and lives.
- Authorities were told to focus on meat products, school food, health foods, vegetables and fruit as priority risk areas.
- Enforcement should cover the full chain, including production and processing, online sales, restaurants and imported food.
- Chen called for stronger coordination with market regulation and agriculture departments, plus a two-way linkage between administrative and criminal penalties.
- He said legal revisions should define production standards, licensing use and liability boundaries for fresh e-commerce, takeaway catering and livestream selling.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the emphasis on imported food, online sales and cross-department enforcement is relevant because the city closely watches mainland food supply and regulatory trends.
The push to tighten rules for e-commerce, takeaway platforms and livestream selling also points to stricter oversight of food sold through channels increasingly familiar to consumers on both sides of the border.