SFDA.jpg (Photo : Reuters)
Shanghai authorities are set to implement a point system for restaurants aimed at improving food safety and quality in the city, according to a Shanghai Daily report.
The scheme, to be put into effect by the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) early next year, is likened to a driver's license.
Under the scheme, all restaurants are given 18 points every year, from which deductions will be made in cases where a restaurant engages in illegal activities determined by the administration.
The SFDA enumerated 49 such activities in connection to food processing, packaging, sales and delivery.
An example of a situation under the scheme is when a food establishment is found responsible for the death of a customer; in such case, it will lose all its 18 annual points and will be ordered to shut down.
Violations of a less grave nature equate to fewer points deducted, with offenses given demerit values ranging from 1 to 18.
However, if the point deductions accumulate and lead to all 18 points being lost, the offending establishement will be ordered to close, too.
Food poisoning with 10 or more victims is considered similar in severity to one death caused by eating food served at a restaurant, so the eatery would lose all of its points and be shut down.
The SFDA listed 13 violations that warrant the deduction of 12 points, and these include food poisoning with fewer than 10 victims, using ingredients that are harmful to health, using illegally recycled food and not recalling defective or damaged products.
For those who would lose 12 to 17 points in a year, the management would have to undergo food safety training, according to officials.
