SFDA Starts Public Consultation on the Guidance on the Identification of Fast Testing Methods for Health Food and Cosmetics

SFDA consults on the  draft of the Guidance on the Identification of Fast Testing Methods for Health Food and Cosmetics to further enhance the the inspection and testing ability of health food and cosmetics.

The Guidance was formulated by State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) according to Food Safety Law and its implementing regulations and Regulations Concerning Hygiene Supervision over Cosmetics, in order to enhance the inspection and testing ability of health food and cosmetics and further improve Fast Testing Methods to ensure the fast testing scientific, impartial and effective. The main content covers the scope, procedures of identification, the source of methods along with application documents and so on.

Fast testing methods will be used to the on-site preliminary screening for heath food and cosmetics, which shall bear the characteristics of  efficiency, convenience, sensitivity and mobility. They can be recommended by provincial FDAs and from the public, including relevant testing institutions, research organs, colleges and universities, enterprises, related groups as well as individuals. 

A notifying unit (or individual) is required to apply to the National Institute for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC), who will organize experts to preliminarily screen on the fast testing method and report to SFDA his review opinions. Then SFDA will issue a public consultation on the method for one month. Afterwards, the unit will receive all the collected feedback from the public and need to further improve the notified fast testing method until it is up to standard.

*Application documents:

• Application form
• Technical documents about the drafting, verification and confirmation of the fast testing method
• Opinions from trial users or other relevant materials
• A letter of commitment or supporting materials that the notified method has no violation of intellectual property rights of other enterprises or individuals
• A letter of commitment to give up the patent voluntarily if the method has been patented.