Strengthening Oversight of Live Streaming Commerce Chaos, Network Food Safety Compliance and Quality Improvement Series Actions Launched

Xinhua News Agency Beijing, March 16 (Reporter Zhao Yining, Wang Xi) — To further strengthen the primary responsibility of online food trading platforms and operators, the State Administration for Market Regulation announced on the 16th that it will immediately launch a series of actions to improve compliance and quality in online food safety.

The series of actions will focus on addressing three major issues strongly reflected by consumers: First, strictly regulate chaotic live streaming sales, urging live streaming platforms, rooms, and hosts to strictly implement the “Supervision and Management Regulations on Food Safety Responsibilities for Live E-commerce Operators” effective from March 20, clarify responsibilities, enforce the sales ban list, and prevent misleading marketing language. Second, rigorously examine the qualifications of online food products, urging platforms to strictly perform substantive reviews to prevent the sale of foods produced or operated without proper food production and business licenses, using false qualifications, or impersonating others’ credentials. Third, severely punish false advertising, urging online food operators to truthfully display information about the origin, ingredients, and functions of foods, and prevent the use of inappropriate language related to disease prevention or treatment to deceive consumers.

During the campaign, special rectification will target prominent issues such as live-streamed food sales, online food sales, health foods, and influencer foods. Enforcement efforts will be increased against counterfeit, substandard, and inferior food products, and online trading platforms will be encouraged to sign self-discipline agreements, strengthening cross-regional and online-offline coordinated supervision.

(Edited by: Wen Jing)

Keywords: Live Streaming Food Safety