China's New Food Safety Law: Impact on Consumers and Businesses

The article discusses the challenges and opportunities presented by China's revised Food Safety Law, enacted in October 2015. While the law is a step in the right direction, improving food safety will require more than just new regulations. Greater interagency coordination is needed among the various government entities with regulatory responsibility for food safety. China has done relatively better in enforcing food safety and quality standards for its food exports than it has for its domestic food market. Industry consolidation is needed to make the food industry easier to regulate, but emerging trends in buying food products from small and unverified retailers online make the jobs of regulators more difficult. China can learn lessons from the experiences of other countries and consider greater co-regulation with the private sector. Clear communication with consumers is also important in setting priorities for food safety regulation. The revised Food Safety Law is a step in the right direction, but regulatory enforcement remains a challenge. Vigilant consumers will continue to demand higher-quality and more-traceable food products, a trend that puts increasing pressure on regulators to enforce high standards and that also presents great opportunities for proactive businesses.