WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/SPS/GEN/1101 
27 June 2011 
 (11-3147) 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
AN INTRODUCTION TO CHINA'S REGIONALIZATION MANAGEMENT  
SYSTEM ON FOOD SAFETY 
Statement by China at the Committee Meeting of 30 June-1 July 2011 
 
 
 The following communication, received on 24 June 2011, is being circulated at the request of 
the Delegation of China. 
 
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 China is pleased to avail itself of this oppor tunity to introduce its regionalization management 
system on food safety to other Members, sharing the unremitting efforts and successful experience in 
its innovative management of food safety. 
I. CONCEPT OF REGIONALIZATION MANAGEMENT OF FOOD SAFETY 
1. The term "regionalization" used in this paper refers to China's regionalization management of 
food safety, not the same term as used in the OIE or IPPC contexts.  China's theory of regionalization 
management of food safety emanates from its expl oration and practice of the management mode of 
export food safety.  Since 2000, the General Admini stration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and 
Quarantine of the People's Republic of China (AQSIQ),  which is in charge of import and export food 
safety, has applied the principles of HACCP and risk  analysis in the control over food processing and 
dynamic management of food processing plants, in troducing a management mode called "company + 
farm + standardization".  In 2007, the theory of  "regionalization management of food safety" was 
proposed and a government-led regionalization management system was established.  The system requires local governments to play a leading role in the implementation of the system in an organized, planned and step-by-step manner, taking into account  their respective economic and social conditions.  
Through enhancing regional organization of agricu ltural production and carrying out safety controls 
over the entire local food chain, the system aims to improve the overall local food safety level and 
ensure export food safety.  Once the regionalization management system is in place, food safety risks 
of each jurisdiction will be controlled within acce ptable levels, and a uniform food safety level in 
different areas will be ultimately achieved. 
II. SCIENTIFIC CONNOTATIONS OF REGIONALIZATION MANAGEMENT OF 
FOOD SAFETY 
2. First, local governments shall fulfill thei r obligation on food safety and meet their 
commitments to safeguarding consumers' health.  Second, by following the principles in GAP, GHP, 
GMP, HACCP and risk analysis, local governme nts should provide guidance to farmers and 
processing enterprises on scientific production and pr ocessing of food, enhance their environmental 
awareness and prevent the use of pesticides, veterina ry drugs, fertilizers, hormones and additive from 
becoming the source of contamination in the food ch ain.  Third, administrative resources shall be 
integrated to establish and improve a pragmatic a nd efficient mechanism of food safety control.  G/SPS/GEN/1101 
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  Fourth, food processing enterprises should play a key role in raw material base construction, food 
production and processing, self-testing and self-control.  Finally, publicity and training on food safety 
and its laws and regulations  should be strengthened to raise public awareness. 
III. MAJOR WORKING MECHANISMS 
3. Mechanism of food safety administration:  De partments of regionalization management are 
set up in local governments, responsible for overa ll supervision, coordination and services under the 
regionalization management system on food safety. 
4. Mechanism of environmental control and agri cultural chemical inputs control:  Effective 
administration and protection is carried out in agri cultural conditions from soil to water.  A market 
access system is introduced on agricultural chemical  inputs to implement a closed management from 
their production, through distribution to utilization. 
5. Mechanism of food safety standardization:  Fo od safety management standards or systems 
such as GAP, GHP, GMP, HACCP and ISO 9000 are locally promoted. 
6. Mechanism of monitoring network on food safety risks:  Testing resources are planned and 
distributed by local governments to monitor food, soil, water and chemical inputs in the regions. 
7. Mechanism of complete traceability on food safet y:  Both documented  and electronic 
traceability platforms are set up for real-time monitoring of critical points in farms, chemical inputs, standardization management, food processing, food inspection and testing, in order to achieve 
complete traceability covering agricultural pr oduction, food processi ng and distribution. 
8. Mechanism of food safety emergency response:  Local governments respond immediately to 
food safety accidents, eliminating or minimizing thei r effects and protecting consumers' health and 
ecological security. 
9. Mechanism of publicity and training on food safety:  Publicity, education and training on food 
safety are provided by local governments. 
10. Mechanism of scientific and technical service s:  Local governments respond to questions 
raised by farmers and enterprises in a variety of ap proaches, such as phone calls, the internet, clinic 
diagnosis and on-site guidance to realize scientific  farming, breeding, raising and food processing. 
11. Mechanism of Integrity:  Violations are notif ied and relevant enterprises are blacklisted to 
enhance integrity awareness. 
IV. PRIMARY CONTROL MEASURES 
12. Under the framework of the regionalization mana gement system on food safety, the Chinese 
Government has primarily applied four control measures. 
13. First, in May 2011, Regionalization Management System on Primary Agricultural Products 
Requirements (GB/T26407-2011) was issued as a national standard and will enter into force on 
1 September 2011.  The standard serves as a basis for local governments to establish a regionalization management system on primary agricultural prod ucts and for third party certification bodies to 
conduct certification.  Additionally, it will furt her enhance the food safety level in China.  G/SPS/GEN/1101 
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  14. Second, rational planning and layout as well as  registration have been introduced into local 
production bases and farms; origins of raw materials are controlled; processing p lants and storehouses  
are subject to sanitary registration; production process and surroundings are subject to scrutiny.  
15. Third, real-time supervision is conducted e ither by resident inspection and quarantine 
officials, supervising officials or by electronic monitoring systems to enhance safety and hygiene 
control on food processing. 
16. Finally, dynamic data of food safety risks are obtained through the implementation of official 
food safety risk monitoring plans and tests conducted by  both government and plant laboratories.  If 
products are found with high risks or potential high ri sks, an alert system will be activated or control 
measures taken. 
V. MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS 
17. Thanks to the efforts made by AQSIQ a nd other government agencies, regionalization 
management system on food safety has been implemented in 261 counties from 27 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities since 2007, when the regionalization management system 
commenced for export food in China.  Experience has been spread from t hose with remarkable 
success.  The regionalization management system  has brought local governments, industry groups, 
enterprises, farmers, consumers and the media into fu ll play and eliminated potential risks in the food 
chain by whole-process monitoring.  As a result,  export food safety is ensured and the overall food 
safety level in China is enhanced.  Statistics for 2010 show that export food from counties or regions 
implementing a regionalization management system all met the requirements of importing markets.  
Facts have shown that the regionalization management  system is an effective means to address food 
safety problems when unbalanced management exists in different regions. 
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