Food safety monitoring and surveillance in China: Past, present and future

Abstract

As an integral component of the food safety risk analysis framework, monitoring and surveillance have developed rapidly in China after the promulgation of the Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China in 2009. At present, a well-functioning national monitoring and surveillance system has been established, which is comprised of four networks and dietary exposure monitoring. The four networks include the foodborne disease surveillance network, the biological hazards (bacteria, virus and parasites) monitoring in foods network, chemical hazards monitoring in foods network and the microbial PFGE profile network. The system now covers all 31 provinces, major municipalities and autonomous regions in Mainland China and is carried out for the national food and exposure monitoring and foodborne disease surveillance and investigation. While the National Health and Family Planning Commission has been overall responsibly for food monitoring and disease surveillance work, the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment has been assigned overall responsibility for foodborne disease surveillance and dietary exposure monitoring through periodic national Total Diet Studies. The Center also provides technical support and guidance to other agencies implementing parts of the national monitoring and surveillance plan. However, in order to provide more and better data for risk assessment and risk management, China needs to learn from more industrialized countries and further strengthen its capacities for food safety monitoring and surveillance.