Food safety inspections stepped up to cover unmanned supermarkets, vending machines

Several ministry-level departments, including those responsible for food safety, water resources, and banking, have responded recently to issues of public concern.

Supervision of food safety strengthened

Revised measures for administering food safety spot inspections will take effect on Oct 1, the State Administration for Market Regulation said in a notice on Friday.

The measures, originally formulated in 2014, were revised as part of efforts by the administration to further regulate such inspections, strengthen supervision of food safety and guarantee public health.

The new measures, approved last month, clarify the intent and scope of food safety spot inspections and the procedures required in carrying them out.

The measures will be also applied to spot inspections of vending machines, unmanned supermarkets and other food traders without service staff, according to the notice.

Under the new measures, food producers or traders that refuse spot inspections without due cause will face stronger punishment.

Organizations responsible for testing of samples gathered during inspections will be barred from such work for five years if they engage in illegal activities.

Center slashes fees for credit reports

The central bank's Credit Reference Center will lower fees charged for credit information services by 50 percent, the National Development and Reform Commission said in a notice released on Friday.

It said the standard service fee for a commercial credit report will be reduced from 40 yuan ($5.68) to 20 yuan, while the standard service fee for a consumer credit report will be reduced from four yuan to two yuan.

Individuals will be able to access their credit reports online free of charge.

The first two times they access their credit reports at a counter will also be free, but every report after that will cost 10 yuan, the notice said.

The fee reductions are expected to save users a total of about 740 million yuan, it said.

Colleges urged to conserve water

China's colleges and universities must promote water conservation on campus, according to a notice released on Friday.

The notice, jointly issued by the Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Education and the National Government Offices Administration, said all colleges and universities should strictly implement their annual water use plans and improve water supply networks to prevent leaks.

Colleges and universities should build rainwater storage and wastewater reclamation systems to improve their utilization, and facilities that use a lot of water, such as swimming pools, should be equipped with devices that can treat and reuse the water.

The use of water-saving equipment and apparatus will be encouraged, and equipment that does not meet water-saving standards should be phased out, the notice said.

It also required colleges and universities to give full play to their advantages in talent and research to push forward the upgrading of water-saving technology.

Boost for intellectual property financing

Banks and insurers will be encouraged to increase support for the use of intellectual property in financing in an effort to support the development of innovative technology enterprises, according to a notice released on Friday.

Jointly issued by the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, the National Intellectual Property Administration and the National Copyright Administration, it said intellectual property was hard to evaluate, dispose of, or sell, which had restricted the growth of intellectual property financing.

A series of measures will be taken to deal with those difficulties, the notice said, and commercial banks will be encouraged to train professional personnel and gradually establish a sound internal intellectual property evaluation system.

Statistics from the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission showed there were 6,668 borrowers with loans based on intellectual property by the end of the first quarter, an increase of 1,200 compared with the same period last year.