China to elevate food, drug agency to general administration

BEIJING - China plans to elevate the status of the existing State Administration of Food and Drug to a general administration in order to improve food and drug safety, according to a report to be delivered by State Councilor Ma Kai to the annual session of the country's top legislature on Sunday.

The proposed ministry-level General Administration of Food and Drug will be responsible for carrying out a unified supervision on food and drug safety and quality in the process of production, circulation and consumption, says the report on the State Council institutional reform and transformation of government functions.

Overlapping of supervision from different departments and some supervision "blind spots" are weak links of the current food safety supervision system, the report says.

The proposed general administration will combine the functions of the existing State Council's Food Safety Office, the State Food and Drug Administration as well as the food supervision duties from the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC), the report says.

Staff and departments of the SAIC and AQSIQ concerning food quality supervision will be transferred to the new general administration of food and drug, the report says.

The country's new national health and family planning commission will be responsible for assessing food safety risks and forming food safety standards. The Agriculture Ministry is responsible for the quality and safety supervision of the farm produce, the report says.

The Commerce Ministry's supervision responsibility of authorized pig slaughtering will be transferred to the Agriculture Ministry, the report says.