Published by ChinaMNC · Huining

China Compliance Alert: Baiyin City Cracks Down on Illegal Additives in Fresh Produce — What Foreign Founders Need to Know

Baiyin City authorities have issued a notice targeting illegal additives and preservatives across the fresh produce supply chain, with strict prohibitions covering farming, post-harvest handling, storage, transport and sales, plus a tiered whistleblower reward scheme. Foreign founders operating food, agriculture or cold-chain businesses in China should review the rules and their supply-chain obligations.

Baiyin Issues Tough Notice on Additives in Edible Agricultural Products

The Baiyin City Food Safety Committee Office, the Baiyin City Agriculture and Rural Affairs Bureau and the Baiyin City Market Supervision Administration have jointly published a notice on cracking down on illegal additives in edible agricultural products. The notice, dated 23 October 2026 and published on 27 October 2026, responds to quality and safety incidents in some of China's main producing regions, including the use of preservative soaking and the illegal addition of non-food substances. It identifies risks across the entire chain — from planting and breeding through harvesting, storage, transport and sale — and states that a zero-tolerance approach will be applied. The legal basis cited includes the Food Safety Law, the Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Law, the Criminal Law and the Gansu Province food safety reporting reward measures.

For foreign founders setting up or running companies in China, particularly in food processing, fresh produce trading, cold-chain logistics or agricultural sourcing, the notice is a practical reminder that compliance obligations run through the whole supply chain and that local authorities are actively enforcing them.

Prohibited Conduct Across the Supply Chain

Farming and Breeding

The notice bans the use of nationally prohibited or restricted pesticides, banned or suspended veterinary drugs, and other substances that may harm human health in the cultivation of vegetables, fruit, goji berries and livestock and poultry products. Pesticide safety intervals and veterinary drug withdrawal periods must be strictly observed, and agricultural inputs must not be used beyond the permitted scope or above permitted limits.

Post-Harvest Handling

For fresh produce such as cabbage, lettuce, cucumber, bean sprouts, mushrooms and fruit, the notice prohibits soaking, dyeing or fumigating with non-food substances including formaldehyde, industrial sulphur, sodium formaldehyde sulphoxylate, fruit green, brilliant blue and tartrazine. It also bans preservatives, anti-corrosion agents and colourants that have no production licence, no lawful source or no labelling.

Purchasing and Storage

Buyers, agents and cold-storage operators are prohibited from unlawful operations during sorting, washing, preservation and packaging. Adulteration and the addition of non-food substances are banned. Preservation stores and pre-cooling facilities must not use prohibited preservatives or industrial refrigerants, and facilities with substandard internal conditions must not continue operating.

Transport

Edible agricultural products must not be shipped together with toxic or harmful goods. Ordinary trucks that do not meet the statutory requirements for food storage and transport must not be used for products requiring temperature control. Non-food chemicals with preservative or freshness-retaining functions must not be used during transport, and vehicles must be cleaned and disinfected, with complete packaging and labelling to preserve traceability.

Sales

The notice prohibits forging or misusing quality marks such as green, organic and geographical indication labels, as well as false advertising. Operators of wholesale, farmers' and convenience markets must perform entry inspection duties, check and collect commitment certificates confirming compliance with standards, retain purchase vouchers as required and publicly disclose quality and safety information.

Enforcement and Criminal Referral

Violations will be dealt with strictly under the Food Safety Law and the Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Law. Where a violation is suspected of constituting a crime, the case will be transferred to public security authorities for criminal liability. Foreign founders should treat these provisions as direct compliance requirements for their China-based entities and for the suppliers and service providers they engage.

Whistleblower Reward Scheme

To encourage public supervision, Baiyin City operates a reward scheme under the Gansu Province food safety reporting reward measures. Rewards are tiered according to the quality of the evidence and the seriousness of the violation:

• Tier one: detailed facts and direct evidence, fully matching the violation, verified as an especially serious violation — generally 5% of the amount of fines and confiscations, with a minimum of RMB 2,000.
• Tier two: facts and direct evidence fully matching the violation — generally 3%, with a minimum of RMB 1,000.
• Tier three: basic facts and relevant evidence broadly matching the violation — generally 1%, with a minimum of RMB 500.
• Where a penalty does not involve a fine or confiscation amount, the minimum rewards for tiers one to three are RMB 2,000, RMB 1,000 and RMB 500 respectively.
• Where a court judgment confirms criminal liability, rewards are 5%, 3% and 1% of the fine amount for tiers one to three. If no fine is imposed or the calculated amount is below RMB 30,000, RMB 30,000 is awarded. Rewards per criminal case are in principle capped at RMB 500,000. Where the offender is convicted but exempted from criminal punishment, the reward is RMB 30,000.
• Where the informant is an internal person from the production, operation or use stage, as recognised by food safety authorities or other departments, the reward may be calculated at twice the applicable amount.

Protection and Reporting Channels

Informant identities are to be kept strictly confidential, and retaliation against informants will be punished severely once verified. Reports may be made anonymously, but anonymous claimants must provide identifying information as an identity code. Reports can be made by calling 12315 or 12345, or by written submission to the local market supervision office or agriculture and rural affairs bureau. Rewards are administered by the authority that made the handling decision, after the report is verified and a decision is issued.

Practical Takeaways for Foreign Founders

Foreign founders in food and agriculture should map their China supply chains against each of the five stages above, confirm that suppliers hold proper licences and provide complete labelling and traceability documentation, and ensure cold-chain and transport partners meet statutory storage and transport requirements. Market operators and platforms should verify that entry inspection and record-keeping duties are performed. Because internal reporting can attract double rewards, robust internal compliance and grievance channels are also worth prioritising.

This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.