Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People’s Republic of China issued G.R.S. [2015] No. 63 Notification on Implementing Food Safety Inspection Accreditation to adapt to the implementation of amended Food Safety Regulation. It highlights the accreditation system for unifying inspection qualification and explains issues with regard to accreditation of food inspection agency.

Inspection agencies that engaging in food, food additives and related food products regulated by food safety standard are regarded as food inspection agencies, which are subject to qualification accreditation for food inspection.

To propel reform for qualification administration of inspection agencies, Certification and Accreditation Administration carried out unified qualification accreditation administration for food inspection in accordance with Notification on CAA’s Supporting Working Procedures and Technique Requirements for Inspection Accreditation (G.R.S. [2015] No. 50). CMA (China Metrology Accreditation) Certificate is issued with its validity as 6 months and “00” is employed as the code for the category in a unified way for inspection accreditation. For qualified comprehensive testing agencies with food inspection capability, authorised signatures for food inspection capability and food field should be specified in separate in the schedule to its qualification certificate.

According to knowledge, CMA and CMAF certificates are incorporated as one CMA certificate. It is anticipated that more than 4,300 certificates will be reduced. Repeated issuing of certificates to inspection agencies are effectively reduced while standardizing capability for food inspection.

The certificate and sign for food inspection agency accreditation will be on natural transition. Currently, such accreditation certificates held by inspection agency are still valid. CMA sign is applied when issuing inspection report within its validity. Before its expiry date, apply for review and certificate replacement in accordance with rules and procedures.