Transformation of China's food safety standard setting system – Review of 50 years of change, opportunities and challenges ahead

Abstract Over the past 50 years, China's food safety regulatory system has undergone major changes. The growing importance of China's food production in both domestic and global markets has made it one of the major drivers of economic development. The identification of food safety as a national priority has driven modernization of the food safety legislative framework along with organizational change, leading up to the creation of China's National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment (CFSA), as a key contributor to the food safety standard setting process. The National Food Safety Standards (NFSS) Framework was established, benchmarked on international best practices and on the guidance of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), with a clear direction to base food safety standard setting on risk analysis principles and in particular on risk assessments supported by a robust foundation of scientific information and data collection that reflects China's context (food production practices and consumer patterns). This paper attempts to review the evolution of China's food safety standard setting over the past 50 years with a focus on changes that occurred during the last decade. The drivers for the make-up of the current system will be discussed. The paper will also attempt to review additional drivers of change and suggest possible future directions for modernization and continued evolution of the NFSS, in a manner that enables optimum protection for Chinese consumers, supports innovation by the food production sector and enhances confidence in Chinese food and agricultural products.