Original Title: Notice from the Shandong Provincial Health Commission on Implementing Document No. 4 of 2024 from the General Office of the National Health Commission Regarding the Improvement of the Management of Food Enterprise Standard Filing
To the Health Commissions of all cities, the Qingdao Municipal Administrative Approval and Service Bureau, the Qingdao West Coast New Area Administrative Committee, relevant national-level development zones, and related units:
To implement the requirements of the “Notice of the General Office of the National Health Commission on Further Optimizing the Management of Food Enterprise Standard Filing” (Guo Wei Ban Shi Pin Fa [2024] No. 4), and in light of the actual conditions in our province, the following notice is issued regarding the improvement of food enterprise standard filing management:
I. Further Clarification of the Scope and Process of Filing.Food enterprise standards shall be independently formulated and made public by food production enterprises in accordance with relevant laws, regulations, and technical specifications. Food production enterprises that formulate enterprise standards stricter than national or local food safety standards shall file such standards by logging into the “Shandong Province Food Enterprise Standard Filing Service Management Platform (http://60.216.53.106:8089/food_security_web/)” (hereinafter referred to as the “Provincial Enterprise Standard Filing Service Platform”).In accordance with the “Decision of the People’s Government of Shandong Province on Adjusting the Implementation of Certain Provincial Administrative Power Items” (Decree No. 333 of the People’s Government of Shandong Province) and the “Decision of the People’s Government of Shandong Province on Delegating the Implementation of Certain Provincial Administrative Power Items” (Decree No. 351 of the People’s Government of Shandong Province), the filing implementation agency entrusted with the provincial administrative power item of food enterprise standard filing (hereinafter referred to as the “Filing Implementation Agency”) shall uniformly upload the standard texts submitted by enterprises for filing to the Provincial Enterprise Standard Filing Service Platform.Enterprise standards that are not stricter than national or local food safety standards, or that directly implement the corresponding national or local food safety standards, do not require filing.
II. The pre-filing public notice procedure for food enterprise standard filings is abolished. The requirement for a 10-working-day pre-filing public notice is eliminated, and the “Shandong Province Food Safety Enterprise Standard Pre-Filing Public Notice Form (Sample)” is repealed; it is no longer necessary to upload this form. When food production enterprises apply for enterprise standard filing, in addition to uploading the “Shandong Province Food Enterprise Standard Filing Information Form” and indicating the relevant content that the standard is “stricter than national or local food safety standards,” they must also upload the complete text of the enterprise standard associated with the filing (see attached reference format).
III. The pre-filing and during-filing reviews are abolished, along with filing watermarks and filing numbers, to further reduce processing times. The filing of food enterprise standards is not an administrative permit. All filing implementation agencies shall uniformly upload the food enterprise standards submitted by enterprises to the Provincial Enterprise Standard Filing Service Platform within 3 working days. If the local government where the filing implementation agency is located has specific time limits for administrative services that do not exceed 3 working days, those time limits shall apply.Where conditions permit, filing agencies should strive to minimize upload processing times, aiming for same-day (business day) uploads and daily clearance of submissions to provide enterprises with more convenient and high-quality services. Filing is considered complete once the text of the standard submitted by the enterprise is made public on the platform. Watermarks and filing numbers shall be removed from filed standards.
IV. Strengthen Post-Filing Guidance and Post-Filing Management. Food production enterprises are responsible for the legality of the standards submitted for filing and for ensuring that food safety indicators are no less stringent than national or local food safety standards. If market supervision authorities or public oversight bodies discover that filed food enterprise standards violate laws, regulations, national or local food safety standards, or provisions issued by relevant departments of the State Council, the food enterprise shall make corrections.For filed standards that enterprises voluntarily withdraw after making corrections, this shall be clearly indicated in the relevant section of the Provincial Enterprise Standard Filing Service Platform and uploaded to the “Enterprise Standard Information Public Service Platform (https://www.qybz.org.cn).” All filing implementation agencies shall further enhance their service awareness, strengthen the promotion and training of food safety standards, intensify post-filing management efforts, actively conduct standard tracking and evaluation, promptly notify relevant enterprises to correct any identified issues, and continuously improve their capabilities and standards in food standard management.
This notice shall take effect on May 4, 2024, and remain valid until May 3, 2029. Where existing requirements for the filing management of food enterprise standards conflict with this notice, the provisions of this notice shall prevail.
Attachment: Reference Format for Uploaded Materials for the Filing of Food Enterprise Standards in Shandong Province
Shandong Provincial Health Commission
April 30, 2024
(Form of Information Disclosure: Proactive Disclosure)
