Issued by:    State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR)
Issue No.:    Order No. 124 of SAMR
Release Date:    January 27, 2026
Effective Date:    May 20, 2026
Links:   https://www.samr.gov.cn/zw/zfxxgk/fdzdgknr/fgs/art/2026/art_2f.html

The issuance of these Provisions aims to implement the primary responsibilities of all parties involved in online food sales, address the shortcomings in the regulatory provisions for platform management responsibilities, and marks a new stage of "substantive review" in online food supervision. The main contents are as follows:
1.  Applicable Subjects: Providers of third-party platforms for online food transactions and online food sellers (including food sellers operating through platforms as well as through self-built websites).
2.  Responsibilities and Obligations of Platform Providers:
(1) Establish a food safety management body, appoint a food safety director and safety officers. The principal responsible person of the platform provider bears overall responsibility for food safety on the platform and shall convene a safety meeting monthly, with minutes retained.
(2) Register online sellers under their real names, conduct substantive reviews through technical identification, on-site inspections, and other means, with verification and updates performed every six months. Formulate a risk control list and strengthen risk identification through technical monitoring and real‑time inspections. Issue immediate warnings upon detection of potential hazards. Upon discovering any illegal conduct, take immediate action to stop it and report to the market regulatory authorities, while simultaneously taking measures such as search ranking demotion, information blocking, link removal, and inclusion on a blacklist.
(3) Establish a product selection system and standards, verify supplier qualifications and food compliance certificates, and refrain from promoting foods that are prohibited from sale or pose risks.
3.  Responsibilities and Obligations of Online Food Sellers:
(1) Obtain food production and business licenses or filing records in accordance with the law, and conduct sales within the approved business scope. They shall not use false or others' qualifications, sell prohibited food products, or engage in false advertising or make claims related to disease prevention or treatment functions.
(2) Display labels of prepackaged food and producer information of bulk food on their homepages. Dynamic information such as shelf-life shall be updated in real time, and other label information shall be consistent with the actual products.
(3) Appoint food safety officers (chief supervisors shall be appointed for businesses meeting the specified scale requirements), and establish mechanisms for daily risk control, weekly inspections and monthly coordination. Immediately suspend sales and remove relevant links upon detection of hidden dangers; stop sales immediately and report to regulatory authorities in case of accident risks.
4.  Legal Liabilities: Platform providers that conduct inadequate reviews or fail to take effective disposal measures shall be imposed fines in accordance with the law. Online food sellers engaging in illegal advertising, qualification fraud and other violations will face fines, license revocation and inclusion in the serious dishonesty list. Relevant persons-in-charge of enterprises that commit intentional illegal acts shall be subject to a fine ranging from one to ten times their income obtained from the enterprise in the previous year.