05 Jun 2024 --- China recently passed a new food security law, the first of its kind, to achieve “absolute self-sufficiency” in the supply of grain and related products. The law provides a legal framework for strengthening the country’s food security and covers the grain supply process, from production to processing. Under the regulation, grain processors must comply with relevant industry standards relating to the quality and security of the produce. It also includes provisions protecting arable land from conversion to other uses, germplasm resources (seeds and tissues containing genetic data) and preventing food waste. According to the country’s Ministry of Justice, China currently feeds over 1.4 billion people with only 9% of the world’s fertile land.
