Secret Letter [ 2025 ] No. 21

Relevant certification bodies:

Recently, some certification bodies have carried out " antibiotic -free " certification activities on their own , which have exposed the problems of non-standard certification basis, unscientific certification rules, and lax certification activities. Some certified organizations have used " antibiotic-free " certification certificates beyond their scope and misled consumers. At present , there is no clear consensus on the concept of " antibiotic-free " and the certification basis of various institutions is not unified . In order to strictly implement the " four most stringent " requirements for food safety and standardize " antibiotic-free " certification activities, the following matters are hereby notified:

1. Carry out comprehensive self-examination and self-correction on " antibiotic-free " certification activities

From the date of this notice, all relevant certification bodies shall conduct comprehensive self-examination and self-correction on their "antibiotic-free" certification activities , focusing on the effectiveness of their certification process, the submission of certification information, etc., and follow up and supervise whether the production and processing process of the certified organization, the use of certification certificates and certification marks, and external publicity comply with laws, regulations and relevant certification rules . If non-compliance is found , timely handling shall be made.

2. Conduct self-examination of the registered certification rules

Please conduct a self-examination of the " antibiotic-free " certification rules that have been filed by this organization in accordance with the relevant requirements of the "Announcement of the National Certification and Accreditation Administration on Strengthening the Management of Certification Rules" (Announcement of the National Certification and Accreditation Administration 2025 No. 9 ) . Certification bodies should formulate specific measures to achieve traceability management of certified products so that they can be traced back to their corresponding certification certificates and certified products and their production and processing units through certification marks. Certification bodies should further clarify the requirements for the correct use of certification certificates and certification marks by certified organizations, such as: prohibiting the use of certification certificates and certification marks beyond the scope, affixing the antibiotic-free product certification mark on the certified product or the product's smallest sales packaging , and not misleading consumers into believing that all products are " antibiotic-free " products through " antibiotic-free " certification .

All certification bodies should attach great importance to food-related certification activities, especially re-evaluate " antibiotic-free " certification activities. Once problems are found, the regulatory authorities will severely investigate and deal with them.

Please submit the self- inspection and self-correction results of the " antibiotic -free " certification activities and certification rules of relevant institutions ( scanned version with seal) by email to spncprzc@samr.gov.cn before June 20 .

Contact :

Food and Agricultural Product Certification Division, Certification and Supervision Department Zheng Linying 010-82262690

CNCA Secretariat

June 6 , 2025​​