Food vendors using Weibo and WeChat warned 'you will be held responsible for food safety'
Warning comes as regulators say social messaging apps cannot be used as "trading platforms" and are only for individual use
Vendors selling food products via personal Weibo and WeChat accounts will be held responsible under food safety legislation, lawmakers have warned.
This is despite the fact such social media apps are not considered "trading platforms" by regulators and are set to be banned from being used to sell food products under a new draft law.
Lawmakers in Beijing are consulting the public on the draft amendment of the Food Safety Law. The new legislation promises tougher rules on food production, sales and regulation.
“Weibo and WeChat cannot be treated as trading platforms,” Chen Xu, deputy director of the legal department of the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA), told the Beijing Times.
"Trading platforms" instead refers to commercial websites such as Taobao and Jingdong,
By contrast, Chen added the Weibo and WeChat apps were for “individuals”.
The draft amendment states food vendors would be allowed to trade online only after registering their shopping platforms – websites – under their real names. Their business permits would also be strictly reviewed.