World Dog Alliance recommends revising the Food Safety Law

On March 21, 2025, the official website of the State Administration for Market Regulation published an article to deploy the key legislative tasks for 2025 and proposed 27 key legislative projects, the first of which is the most important "Food Safety Law".

The World Dog Alliance (WDA) believes that "a country is based on its people, and people depend on food for their survival", and food safety is an eternal topic. With the continuous development of society and the complexity of food production and distribution, there are more and more issues related to food safety, among which the contradictions and conflicts related to the consumption and operation of dog and cat meat are particularly prominent.

In view of the fact that the focus of the dispute is on Article 34, Item 8 of the Food Safety Law, which states that "the production and operation of the following foods, food additives, and food-related products are prohibited: (8) Meat that has not been quarantined in accordance with regulations or has failed quarantine, or meat products that have not been inspected or have failed inspection;".

Law enforcers from the Market Supervision and Administration Bureau believe that because the Ministry of Agriculture "has no regulations", there is no such thing as "not complying with regulations" with regard to dog and cat meat. As long as the purchase certificate and legal source can be provided, dog and cat meat can be eaten without quarantine.

Some legal scholars believe that dogs and cats are "non-food raw materials" and that the "no regulations" by the Ministry of Agriculture mean that "slaughter and sale for food purposes are prohibited", and thus conclude that the slaughter and sale of dog and cat meat is prohibited in China. There are even more enthusiastic ordinary people who use this as a basis to frequently complain and interfere with market operations. Conflicts and confrontations have planted safety risks for social stability.

To this end, the World Dog Alliance sent a letter to the State Administration for Market Regulation on March 28, 2025, suggesting that when revising the Food Safety Law, it be considered to amend Article 34, Item 8, by deleting the three words "according to regulations" and amending it to "prohibit the production and operation of the following foods, food additives, and food-related products: (VIII) Meat that has not been quarantined or has failed quarantine, or meat products that have not been inspected or have failed inspection;"

The revised legal provisions are clearly stated and have clear meanings, which prevent illegal traders from taking advantage of loopholes. On the one hand, it maintains food safety and protects public health. At the same time, because the loopholes in terminal sales are blocked, it can reversely cut off the "stealing, poisoning and killing" dog and cat meat black industry chain, maintain social stability, and build a safe social environment.

On April 21, 2025, the staff of the World Dog Alliance received a reply from the State Administration for Market Regulation, stating that the letter had been received and forwarded to the relevant departments within the bureau. We also look forward to further good news.