China's Draft Food Safety Law Revision Covers AI Regulation and School Food Safety

On October 10, 2026, the State Administration for Market Regulation of China released the draft revision of the Food Safety Law for public consultation. Compared with the current law, the draft adds 37 new provisions and revises 93, with a strong focus on AI regulation, school food safety, and online food operations. Regarding smart regulation, the draft proposes promoting Internet plus AI applications, requiring food production and business operators to install monitoring equipment at key risk stages and connect real-time video feeds to local market regulation information systems at or above the county level. It also grants regulatory authorities non-site inspection powers such as IoT monitoring and video patrols. Experts and officials noted that this upgrades previously encouraged practices like transparent kitchens into legal mandates, enabling AI to automatically detect back-of-house violations, reduce manual inspection pressure, and precisely identify hidden risks. Additionally, the draft introduces dedicated sections on school food safety, establishing a principal-in-charge responsibility system and a shared-meal accompaniment system for primary and secondary schools and kindergartens. It also creates a specific section for online food operations featuring tiered filing management, bringing platforms, livestreaming room operators, and marketing personnel into full-chain compliance oversight. The draft is currently undergoing the public feedback process.