China announces action plan on edible oil inspections

Partially spurred by domestic food safety incidents in 2024, the 18 April announcement by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) outlined how local and national authorities would work together to enforce regulations across the edible oil value chain, including production, sales and transportation, the USDA said on 28 April.

The aim of the action plan was to standardise production and ensure the quality and safety of edible oils, with inspections focusing on:

• Adulteration.
• The use of additives beyond designated limits.
• False labelling and failure to label genetically modified (GM) products as required.
• Transportation.

Specific actions conducted by SAMR as part of the national plan would include: the supervision and inspection of production processes; online and offline joint inspection; transportation of bulk oils and special sampling.

The regulations apply to domestically-produced and imported products, as well as products sold through online and offline channels, and local officials will step up inspection and enforcement actions from April-December 2025, according to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) report.

Following reports of edible oils being contaminated during transportation in May 2024, which impacted several oilseeds crushing companies in China, government departments including SAMR and the Ministry of Transport, had conducted joint investigations into contamination issues, the USDA said.

In November 2024, China notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) of a new national standard for Hygienic Requirements for the Bulk Transportation of Edible Vegetable Oils under G/TBT/N/CHN/1943.

SAMR released the final mandatory national standard GB 44917-2024 in November 2024, which entered into force on 1 February 2025, regulating the sanitary requirements for loading, unloading, records management and transportation for bulk edible vegetable oils in China.

Tags: China, edible oils, inspections