Daily Briefing: Sablefish Linked to Abnormal Blood Mercury? Risk Assessment Center Issues Consumption Advisory; "Chengdu's Sky-High Twice-Cooked Pork: 3 Slices for 105 Yuan" Trends on Social Media; CCTV Exposes Delivery "Transparent Kitchen" Fraud (October 8, 2026)

Sablefish Linked to Abnormal Blood Mercury? Risk Assessment Center Issues Consumption Advisory

In response to recent media reports that infants developed abnormal blood mercury levels after eating sablefish, experts from the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment pointed out that marine fish can supply high-quality protein, trace elements and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, but mercury in the marine environment accumulates along the food chain; large predatory fish at the top of the food chain such as sharks, swordfish, tuna and sablefish generally have higher methylmercury levels, while small fish, freshwater fish and farmed fish have lower methylmercury levels. The advisory recommends: salmon, mackerel and other low-mercury fish may be chosen to supplement nutrition; large predatory fish are not suitable for long-term, frequent, single-source consumption; pregnant and breastfeeding women and infants and young children should avoid high-mercury species as much as possible; and fish should not be eaten raw or not thoroughly cooked. National standard data show that the total mercury limit for domestically produced canned complementary foods for infants and young children is 0.02mg/kg, while the mercury limit range for ordinary aquatic products is 0.5—1.7mg/kg, a clearly obvious gap; when purchasing, consumers can check the labels and choose compliant products matching their child's age in months.

"Chengdu's Sky-High Twice-Cooked Pork: 3 Slices for 105 Yuan" Trends on Social Media

On October 4, "Chengdu's sky-high twice-cooked pork: 3 slices for 105 yuan" made the trending list. In response, the merchant said that the 3 slices of twice-cooked pork selling for 105 yuan is because the pork is selected from grain-fed pigs raised in Lianshan Town, Guanghan, Deyang, Sichuan; a pig of 400 to 500 jin can yield only a few slices of meat of this specification, each slice weighing about six or seven liang, with a minimum sale of three slices. Besides the twice-cooked pork at 35 yuan per slice, the shop also offers twice-cooked pork at different price points of 10 yuan, 15 yuan, 20 yuan and 25 yuan, the main difference being the size and portion of the meat slices. Some customers prefer large chunks of meat and therefore tend to choose the higher-priced, larger-portion categories. On October 5, the Market Supervision Administration of Jinjiang District, Chengdu responded that the prices of restaurant dishes are set independently by the restaurant but must be clearly marked in accordance with the law; upon on-site inspection, the restaurant expressly indicated dish prices through menus, verbal notification and other forms, and did not violate the Price Law or other laws and regulations, while reminding the merchant to continue safeguarding consumers' right to know and right to choose.

Over 2,000 Enterprises Deploy Standardized Digital Food Labels

Learned from the State Administration for Market Regulation: as of the end of August 2026, more than 2,000 food enterprises nationwide had completed the deployment of standardized digital food label applications relying on the national standards for commodity barcodes and commodity QR codes, covering more than 10,000 everyday consumer food products, with consumer scans exceeding 70,000 person-times in the past 30 days. By scanning the commodity QR code on food packaging with a mobile phone, consumers can conveniently view label information such as the ingredient list, nutritional composition, consumption methods and production processes, and can further obtain product traceability information and complete consumption settlement, and more.

CCTV Exposes Delivery "Transparent Kitchen" Fraud

On October 4, CCTV exposed fraud in the "transparent kitchen" program at some food delivery restaurants, drawing attention. Reporters visited 15 food and beverage merchants marked as "transparent kitchen" in Changsha, Wuhan and Lijiang, and found that 14 of them had surveillance cameras placed randomly or deliberately shifted in angle, with the picture facing the floor or a wall and not covering key operating areas such as cutting and preparation, cooking, and washing and disinfection; another 6 were marked on the platform as "dine-in stores" but were actually delivery-only. In a certain top-ranked Mala Xiang Guo restaurant, the deep fryer and walls in the kitchen were piled with grease and food ingredients were placed exposed, and rats appeared on the warehouse floor; the shop said there was "no need to deal with it specially." After the program aired, the State Administration for Market Regulation promptly arranged verification and handling in Hunan, Hubei, Yunnan and other places, and proposed four measures: promote the revision of the Food Safety Law to further clarify the primary responsibilities of delivery platforms and online food service providers, strengthen routine supervision, tighten platform review and gatekeeping responsibilities (merchants whose publicly disclosed information is untrue shall all be taken offline), and improve the multi-party co-governance structure. Wuhan filed cases for investigation against all exposed merchants and urged platforms to remove them and suspend their online operations; Lijiang ordered four entities — Yuefu Qi Black Gold Char Siu, Gu Meimei Restaurant (Zui Qingfeng Congee Shop), Mahoupao Yunnan Dip BBQ Tansenzhenfang, and Chongqing Wanzhou Grilled Fish — to suspend business for rectification and filed cases, and launched a citywide "concentrated rectification of food delivery safety"; Changsha ordered six outlets including Shuduofu · Mala Xiang Guo to suspend business for rectification, and notified Meituan, Taobao Shangou and JD.com to take them offline.

Well-Known Supermarket Fined 329,900 Yuan for Excessive Sorbic Acid in a Batch of Dried Apricots

Recently, Costco (China) Investment Co., Ltd. received a new administrative penalty: the Market Supervision Administration of Pudong New Area, Shanghai determined that it had engaged in the production and sale of food with excessive use of food additives, and imposed a fine of 329,942.48 yuan. The product involved was dried apricots (dried fruit). In April 2026, the State Administration for Market Regulation carried out a supervisory sampling inspection of Costco (Nanjing) Commercial Co., Ltd., taking 9 bags of the product and retaining 3 bags as samples, and detected that the food additive sorbic acid and its potassium salt (calculated as sorbic acid) did not comply with national food safety standards; in May the enterprise received the "Notice of Food Safety Sampling Inspection Results" and submitted a written application for re-inspection, and the re-inspection conclusion was still non-compliant. The enterprise then initiated a recall, and as of August 2 had recalled a total of 2,330 bags, of which 2,076 bags were unsold goods of the subsidiary and 254 bags were consumer returns at stores; no complaints of physical discomfort after consumption have been received so far.

2026 Food Safety Assured Consumption Exchange Seminar Held in Beijing

On September 29, the 2026 Food Safety Assured Consumption Exchange Seminar was held in Beijing. The meeting emphasized that it is necessary to deepen whole-chain food safety governance and focus on improving regulatory effectiveness; to give play to the comprehensive coordination role of the food safety office and comprehensively prevent systemic risks; to carry forward the clean and upright ethos of honest business operation and press down on enterprises' primary responsibilities; and to promote participation by diverse actors from broader dimensions and actively build a pattern of social co-governance of food safety.

EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) Notification (Week 40 of 2026)

According to the official EU website, in the Week 40 notification of 2026, the EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) notified 2 cases involving Chinese food and related products. According to the notification, non-compliant aluminum water bottles were sold to France and Morocco. Foodmate Network reminds exporting enterprises to export products strictly in accordance with the requirements of the importing countries, to pay attention to the migration amount of various substances in food contact materials, to ensure the safety of food and related products, and to avoid export risks.

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