Food officials to be tested on new law

Food safety officials, along with staff of food production and sales companies, will be tested on the nation’s new food safety law and city regulation, officials from Shanghai Food and Drug Administration said yesterday.

Government officials will be demoted if they fail the tests and companies will be scrutinized more frequently by the administration.

Shanghai’s tough food safety regulation takes effect on March 20, and food companies have been told to train their staff about the new regulation.

Companies will be first warned — and then fined — if they fail to do the job. In serious instances, their licenses will be revoked.

Officials and staff from some 200 food companies, including those from high-risk companies like meat, dairy, raw aquatic food and infant food, received training from Shanghai FDA yesterday.

“We have a database of about 1000 questions about food safety law and regulation. They can do the tests on WeChat according to their convenience,” said Chao Qiangguo, director of Shanghai FDA’s food production department.

“Those involved in food industry must understand the regulations. If all the companies understand and follow the regulations, we can ensure safety,” Chao said.

Wang Huimin from Shanghai Bright Dairy Co’s quality department said food safety was the key issue for the food.

“We will organize training for all relevant staff and test them accordingly to make sure all of them have a clear understanding of the new regulation,” he said.

There are some 200,000 food production and sales companies in the city. All of them have to brief and train their staff.

The bureau will test them at a later stage.

The new regulation carries a lifetime ban for operators convicted of food safety crimes and a five-year ban for those whose business licenses have been revoked.