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Amendments to the Food Hygiene Control Law were promulgated on 9 February 2000. The main changes are as follows:
Food hygiene standards are expanded to cover food hygiene, safety and quality standards. A provision is added that manufacturers shall not manufacture, process, blend, package, trans-port, store, sell, import, export, offer as gifts or publicly display foods or food additives not previously used as foods and not shown to be harmless to human health.
In the interests of food safety, the central regulatory authority (i.e. the DOH) may des-ignate food products, food additives, food-use cleansing agents, food utensils, food contain-ers and food packaging as being subject to inspection and registration. Items so desig-nated may not be manufactured, processed, blended, repackaged, imported or exported without inspection and registration, and the issuance of a permit, by the central regulatory authority.
Product labeling requirements: As well as the name and address of the manufacturer, the manufacturer's telephone number must now also be displayed; food products must be marked with expiry date; and on products so designated by the central regulatory authority, the names and content of nutrients must be prominently displayed in Chinese and com-monly used symbols.
To deter illegal advertising, a media business accepting an advertisement for publication or broadcast must retain a record of the adver-tiser's name, address, telephone number and identity card number or business registration number for a period of two months following publication or broadcast of the advertisement, and may not evade, obstruct or refuse a re-quest made by a competent authority to pro-duce such information.
It is explicitly provided that foodstuff manu-facturers must employ good food hygiene practices, and that types of foodstuff business designated by the central regulatory authority, such as food additive plants, must also con-form to the requirements of food safety control systems defined by that authority.
Foodstuff businesses designated by the central regulatory authority must obtain product li-ability insurance in respect of their products, in order to protect consumers' interests and to spread such businesses' risk and financial burden.
It is explicitly provided that foodstuff busi-nesses have a duty to collect and destroy products subject to confiscation. The levels of fines and administrative fines are increased, and where companies commit repeated viola-tions within certain time periods, their busi-ness or manufacturing licenses may be re-voked. Criminal penalties are also increased, and juristic persons are made liable to fines and to penalties for negligence.
