Policy Digest

Food safety alerts raised in heat, flooding season

The office of the food safety commission of the State Council has called for authorities to strengthen efforts to guarantee food safety in the face of high temperatures and flooding.

In a notice issued on the State Council's website on Saturday, the office called for comprehensive examinations of the equipment and raw materials used to make food, the processing and storage of food, and the health of people making food, and to root out any risks and hazards.

Efforts should be made to avoid food contamination and prevent food and raw materials that have gone bad or are unclean from being sold, it said.

The office urged local authorities to enhance daily supervision of food, and strengthen monitoring of foodborne diseases and the quality of drinking water.

They should conduct more spot checks on highly consumed food products, including rice, flour and cooking oil, special food for infants and older adults, and food that is allocated, donated or sold to people in disaster-hit areas, the office said, asking them to remove items from shelves or recall defective products promptly.

The authorities were also asked to handle cases of food safety violations seriously.

Campaign to snuff out unsafe power banks

The State Administration for Market Regulation has launched a nationwide campaign to boost oversight on the quality of power banks.

The campaign will last from July to September.

Market regulation authorities will conduct examinations on power banks that have passed the 3C certification as well as power bank producers, and carry out pilot reform of the 3C certification sign for power banks, the administration said.

Spot checks will be increased for power banks sold online and those sold at reduced prices.

The authorities will crack down on the unauthorized sales of power banks without a 3C certification, and step up efforts to recall defective products.

The administration is urging online shopping platforms to strengthen reviews of the qualification of online stores, better manage illegal behavior, and set up a robust system to examine and monitor defective power banks.

The China Compulsory Certification, 3C, is a compulsory market access system for certain products to ensure safety and to protect the environment.

In 2023, China included power banks and lithium-ion batteries — key components of power banks — on the list of products that must be certified by the system, an administration official told People's Daily.

After a transitional period of one year, products without the certification were no longer allowed to enter the market since August last year.

In late June, the Civil Aviation Administration of China banned power banks without 3C certification from being taken onboard aircraft, citing safety concerns.

Actions to ensure quality of products for elderly

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and four other departments have launched a series of campaigns to improve the quality of products for older adults.

The goals of the campaigns include encouraging the innovation and upgrading of products, according to a statement issued on the ministry's website.

The departments will compile guidance for constructing a system of standards for products aimed at the elderly, and speed up the development of standards for key products such as age-friendly home appliances, smart wearable devices and smart health monitoring products.

They will organize activities to select high-quality products for older adults, issue a catalogue of products that are worth promoting, and support local authorities in subsidizing consumption.