---
title: "Government Directive: Relevant Departments Shall Not Detain or Confiscate Legally Marketed Salt Products on Grounds of Quality Testing, Nor Impede Normal Sales"
description: "On April 7, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued a notice on further implementing the national salt industry reform, detailing requirements for local governments to complete the cleanup of local regulations, achieve separation of government and enterprise, implement cross-regional operation policies, and conduct special inspections on salt quality and safety."
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published: "2017-04-10"
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# Government Directive: Relevant Departments Shall Not Detain or Confiscate Legally Marketed Salt Products on Grounds of Quality Testing, Nor Impede Normal Sales

> On April 7, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued a notice on further implementing the national salt industry reform, detailing requirements for local governments to complete the cleanup of local regulations, achieve separation of government and enterprise, implement cross-regional operation policies, and conduct special inspections on salt quality and safety.

On April 7, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued a notice on further implementing the national salt industry reform, as follows:

**General Office of the National Development and Reform Commission**
**General Office of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology**
Document No. 604 [2017] of the Economic System Reform Office

**Notice of the General Office of the National Development and Reform Commission and the General Office of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Further Implementing the Work Related to the Salt Industry Reform**

To the General Offices of the People's Governments of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government:

In accordance with the spirit of the "Notice of the State Council on Issuing the Plan for Deepening the Reform of the Salt Industry System" (Guo Fa [2016] No. 25, hereinafter referred to as the "Plan"), the reform of the salt industry system has been officially implemented since January 1, 2017. In order to further implement the spirit of the Plan, ensure salt safety, maintain orderly market order, promote fair competition, and release market vitality, the following notice is hereby given on further improving the work related to the salt industry reform.

**I. Comprehensively and Accurately Implement the Spirit of the Salt Reform and Urgently Improve Local Laws and Regulations Concerning Salt**

The people's governments of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government should strengthen the "Four Consciousnesses," assume overall responsibility for the reform from the height of maintaining the authority of the Party Central Committee's decisions, strengthen organizational leadership for the implementation of the reform, clarify the responsibilities and tasks of relevant departments, strengthen regular supervision of provincial salt industry authorities, and implement the tasks deployed in the Plan without compromise. Accelerate the cleanup of local laws, regulations, and policies that are inconsistent with the spirit of the Plan, and complete the cleanup before June 30, 2017. Before the relevant salt-related laws and regulations are revised, relevant departments shall not refuse to implement the spirit of the Plan and relevant national regulations. Institutions and principal responsible persons with such behavior shall be ordered to correct and be seriously dealt with to avoid adverse effects.

**II. Accelerate the Separation of Government and Enterprise and Improve the Specialized Supervision System for Salt**

The people's governments of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government shall resolutely cancel administrative approval items that do not conform to the spirit of the Plan, such as salt transport permits and salt retail licenses. If the provincial, municipal, and county-level salt industry authorities or salt quality safety management and supervision agencies have not been separated from salt companies, a plan for the reform of the salt industry supervision system shall be compiled before June 30, 2017, and the separation of government and enterprise (or public institution and enterprise) shall be achieved by the end of 2017. The people's governments of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government should improve the specialized supervision system for salt, refine the reform plans for provincial and sub-provincial salt industry supervision, and coordinate the resolution of issues such as staffing adjustments, funding sources, and personnel placement involved in the reform, further strengthening market supervision. Encourage qualified localities to complete the separation of government and enterprise (or public institution and enterprise) ahead of schedule. During the transfer of functions, law enforcement funds must be guaranteed to prevent a "vacuum in supervision" and ensure the quality and safety of salt.

The compilation and implementation of reform plans for municipal and county-level salt industry supervision are key links for the reform to take root. They should be incorporated into the provincial salt industry supervision reform plan for overall arrangement and approved by the higher-level people's government. All localities should establish a responsibility system for plan approval and a supervision system for plan approval, strictly review the scientific nature, systematicness, and operability of municipal and county-level plans, and approve them strictly, so as to avoid the phenomenon of "relay and two skins" and never just talk about principles without being easy to operate.

**III. Implement the Cross-Regional Operation Policy of the Salt Reform and Actively Release Market Vitality**

All provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government should, in light of local actual conditions, carry out special actions to implement the cross-regional operation policy of the salt reform in three stages: self-inspection and self-correction, rectification and regulation, and summary and acceptance, and complete them before June 30, 2017.

**(1) Standardize Logistics Distribution Methods.** In accordance with the provisions of the "Notice of the General Office of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the General Office of the National Development and Reform Commission on Strengthening the Management of Salt Monopoly during the Transition Period of Reform" (MIIT Office Joint Consumption [2016] No. 211, hereinafter referred to as "Document No. 211"), salt wholesale enterprises (including salt production enterprises that have obtained salt wholesale licenses, the same below) may distribute salt to salt retail outlets such as department stores, supermarkets, retail stores, and specialty stores, as well as salt end users such as food processing and catering service units, through self-built logistics systems or by signing distribution contracts with third-party logistics enterprises and entrusting them to distribute salt. Salt wholesale enterprises shall not cheat or sign logistics distribution contracts with logistics enterprises that do not have road transport operation licenses and business licenses. Self-built logistics systems or third-party logistics enterprises should be established in accordance with the law, and their business scope should cover ordinary cargo transport, warehousing services, etc.; they should have necessary transport tools and warehouses; they should fulfill distribution contracts and provide good salt distribution services, and shall not resell or re-wholesale salt. Salt wholesale enterprises should directly issue VAT invoices or sales documents that meet regulations to salt retail outlets or end users.

**(2) Orderly Carry Out Sales through Self-Built Channels.** In accordance with the provisions of Document No. 211, during the transition period of the reform, salt wholesale enterprises may carry out salt sales through self-built branch companies or self-built sales outlets. Self-built branch companies should be established in accordance with the Company Law and other relevant regulations; self-built branch companies do not have legal personality, and their illegal liabilities shall be borne by the salt wholesale enterprise. Self-built branch companies or self-built sales outlets should sign labor contracts with recruited workers in accordance with the Labor Contract Law and other laws and regulations, pay wages in accordance with the law, and pay social insurance premiums, etc.

**(3) Strictly Define the Scope of Enterprise Information Notification.** In accordance with the provisions of the "Notice of the General Office of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the General Office of the National Development and Reform Commission on Doing a Good Job in the Work Related to Salt Production Enterprises Entering the Salt Circulation Field and Salt Wholesale Enterprises Carrying Out Cross-Regional Operations during the Transition Period of Reform" (MIIT Office Joint Consumption Letter [2016] No. 585), in order to facilitate relevant departments in performing their supervisory duties, salt wholesale enterprises should proactively notify the provincial salt industry authorities of the sales area of 8 items of information when carrying out cross-regional operations. The provincial salt industry authority should publish the 8 items of information on its official website within 3 working days of receiving the notification, and shall not refuse to publish for any reason. Provincial and sub-provincial salt industry authorities shall not treat the notification of cross-regional salt operation information as an administrative approval item, shall not add new notification items, expand the scope of notification, or increase the frequency of notification.

Salt wholesale enterprises that self-build logistics systems or entrust third-party logistics enterprises should provide the salt industry authority with copies of the logistics enterprise's qualification certificates and the name and contact information of its responsible person; third-party logistics enterprises should also provide copies of the entrusted salt distribution contract and proof of their own transport tools and warehouses; those that self-build branch companies should provide copies of the branch company's business license and the name and contact information of its responsible person; those that self-build sales outlets should provide registration information such as the address and name of the sales outlet and the name and contact information of its responsible person.

**(4) Clarify Requirements for Salt Quality Testing.** Relevant departments shall not detain or confiscate salt products that have legally entered the market on the grounds of testing salt quality, nor shall they affect the normal sales of enterprises; if testing is truly necessary, it should be conducted in the form of random inspections, and testing should be entrusted to qualified salt testing institutions in accordance with relevant national and industry standards for salt, or in accordance with effective enterprise standards; enterprise standards should be stricter than national and industry standards, and should be filed with the local food safety standards authority, and also reported to the National Salt Standardization Technical Committee, which should publish them on relevant websites. Professional testing institutions, when entrusted by relevant departments for random inspections, should issue written notices, and the results should be notified to the enterprise in writing. Salt products of unqualified quality should immediately stop sales and be punished in accordance with laws and regulations. If there is any objection to the random inspection results, the enterprise may, within 7 working days of receiving the notice of the results, apply to the relevant department at the next higher level for re-inspection, and the department accepting the application should randomly confirm a re-inspection institution from the list of re-inspection institutions published by the State Council's salt industry authority and other relevant departments. The re-inspection institution shall not be the same as the initial inspection institution, and the re-inspection result shall be final and notified to the enterprise in writing.

**(5) Strictly Implement the Salt Iodization Standard.** Provincial salt industry authorities should, together with the health and family planning administrative departments at the same level, promptly publish on their official websites the list of salt iodine concentrations and high-water iodine areas in their respective regions. Salt wholesale enterprises should mainly sell iodized salt in iodine-deficient areas and non-iodized salt in high-water iodine areas. It is prohibited to sell iodized salt products that do not meet the salt iodine concentration of the sales area (except for non-iodized salt sold in accordance with laws and regulations). The salt industry authority of the sales area and other relevant departments should notify enterprises that violate relevant regulations in writing to make corrections, and the correction period shall not exceed 7 working days; if the correction is not in place, penalties should be imposed in accordance with the law.

**(6) Accelerate the Construction of an Electronic Traceability System for Salt.** Provincial salt industry authorities, salt production enterprises, and salt wholesale enterprises should establish an electronic traceability system for salt in accordance with national unified regulations and standards. Before the national unified regulations and standards are issued, provincial salt industry authorities or salt quality safety management and supervision agencies shall not make joining the local electronic traceability system for salt a precondition for allowing salt production enterprises and salt wholesale enterprises to carry out cross-regional operations.

**(7) Standardize the Construction of Online Trading Service Platforms.** Self-built online trading service platforms for salt in all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government should adhere to the principles of fairness, justice, and openness, and achieve market-oriented operation. Whether to join the platform should be decided independently by enterprises, and joining the platform shall not be a precondition for carrying out cross-regional operations.

**IV. Carry Out Special Inspections on Salt Quality and Safety to Ensure the Safety of the People's Salt**

The people's governments of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government should organize special inspections on salt quality and safety within their jurisdictions and complete them before June 30, 2017. The special inspections should cover no fewer than 5 county-level administrative areas; on-site inspections should cover no fewer than 20 enterprises (outlets), including salt production enterprises, salt wholesale enterprises, salt retail outlets (including farmers' markets), and salt end users (including food processing enterprises); inspection samples should be sent to professional salt testing institutions for testing, and professional salt testing institutions should issue written test reports.

**(1) Strictly Inspect the Salt Production Link.** Strictly inspect the source of raw materials for salt production and the production environment, seriously investigate and deal with illegal acts of production, processing, and sales of salt by non-designated salt production enterprises, strictly implement salt production process standards and hygiene standards, eliminate the practice of passing off inferior goods as superior and cutting corners, and ensure salt quality; for salt production enterprises that produce unqualified salt, they should be ordered to rectify and be punished severely in accordance with the law.

**(2) Strengthen Inspections of the Salt Wholesale Link.** Give full play to the long-term role of the mechanism for cracking down on the production and sale of counterfeit salt, strictly crack down on illegal business operations of salt wholesale enterprises, especially severely crack down on the acts of selling industrial salt, industrial waste residue and waste liquid salt, feed additive sodium chloride, and salt products without labels on the outer packaging, as well as salt products that do not meet national standards and industry standards for salt, as salt to retail outlets, restaurants, canteens, etc. For salt wholesale enterprises found to have such acts during inspections, accountability should be established and penalties should be imposed in accordance with the law.

**(3) Standardize Inspections of Salt Storage and Transportation Conditions.** The sanitary conditions of salt storage facilities of salt wholesale enterprises that self-build logistics systems or entrust third-party logistics enterprises must meet national food safety standards, and the tools for salt transportation and loading and unloading must meet hygiene requirements; it is strictly forbidden to mix salt with toxic and harmful substances or transport them together. For violations of these provisions, the relevant legal responsibilities of salt wholesale enterprises and third-party logistics enterprises should be pursued in accordance with the law.

Please report in writing to the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology before July 15, 2017, on the completion of key tasks such as cleaning up local laws and regulations, compiling salt industry supervision reform plans, implementing policies for cross-regional operations in the salt reform, and carrying out salt quality and safety monitoring. The National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will, together with relevant departments, carry out special supervision and inspection, and the results will be reported to the State Council.

**Source: Salt Encyclopedia**

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