The State Grain Administration Released Key Tasks for Grain Quality and Safety in 2017, Emphasizing Grassroots Work and Rapid Testing

Recently, the State Grain Administration issued a notice on key tasks for grain quality and safety in 2017. The notice includes measures to strengthen the grain quality and safety assurance mechanism, improve grain quality and safety monitoring and supervision capabilities, and improve the grain quality and safety standard system.

Regarding strengthening the grain quality and safety assurance mechanism, the notice specifically points out the need to actively seek financial support from the same level of government to increase funding and ensure the necessary funds for grain quality and safety supervision at all levels, especially for inspection and testing.

Regarding improving grain quality and safety monitoring and supervision capabilities, the notice emphasizes the need to build a broad-coverage inspection and monitoring network and strengthen grassroots supervision capabilities.

Specifically, strengthening grassroots grain quality and safety inspection and monitoring capabilities requires extending quality inspection and monitoring functions to cities and counties, establishing grain quality inspection and monitoring institutions in populous counties and major grain-producing counties to gradually fill monitoring gaps.

Furthermore, in accordance with the requirements of the "13th Five-Year Plan for National Food Safety," grain quality and safety inspection and monitoring institutions should be upgraded and transformed. Major grain-producing counties and populous counties should gradually acquire laboratory testing capabilities or rapid qualitative detection capabilities for indicators such as common mycotoxins, heavy metals, and pesticide residues. Strengthen grassroots regulatory capacity and infrastructure development, actively seek support for the allocation of specialized institutions, personnel, and equipment, and promote the standardization of grassroots equipment. Focus on upgrading and transforming the inspection capabilities of grassroots inspection and monitoring institutions and major grain storage enterprises, equipping them with necessary rapid testing instruments and equipment, and fully leveraging their role in ensuring grain quality and safety from the source. Strengthen professional skills training for inspection personnel, comprehensively improve the professional and technical level of inspection personnel at all levels, and establish a grain quality and safety inspection and testing expert database. Strengthen the construction of grain quality and safety emergency response teams and emergency response capabilities, and conduct emergency drills as needed.