In order to implement the "four most stringent" requirements of food supervision work and the important guiding spirit of establishing a professional food inspector team, improve the ability of food inspectors and ensure the effectiveness of special foods on-site inspection. Entrusted by the Office of Special Food Safety Supervision of State Administration for Market Regulation, Center for Food and Drug Administrator of NMPA (short for CFDI) held the national advanced seminar for special food inspectors in Beijing from December 12 to 15, 2018.

This seminar focused on the regulations, professional knowledge and technology required by food inspectors for special foods on-site inspection. The following training modules were established: special food registration supervision regulations at domestic and overseas, on-site inspector requirements and on-site inspection technical practices, special food registration technical review points, special food R&D and production processes and key risk control links, food production enterprises GMP and HACCP quality systems, food production health and safety technologies (cleaning technology and water production technology, etc.), foreign affairs discipline and etiquette, etc. Wan Chao and Li Xiaoyu, the principal of the division of the Office of Special Food of State Administration for Market Regulation, Tian Shaolei, the principal of the Food Inspection Division of CFDI, Liu Hongyu, Long Jihong and Deng Shaowei, the principal of Third Special Food Registration Division of the Center for Food Evaluation of State Administration for Market Regulation and many others, and many experts from food R&D and production industries acted as speakers. Ma Fuxiang, deputy director of Special Food Safety Supervision Office and Li Jianming, deputy director of CFDI presented and gave speeches to the participants and food inspectors.

156 people recommended by the State Administration for Market Regulation, Food Review Center, CFDI, National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, National Committee for the Examination and Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine Variety Protection, Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine and other institutes, and food inspectors from some Food and Drug Administration of province, municipalities and autonomous region participated in this Training. In order to ensure the training effect, a teacher-student interactive session was set up after each theme lecture for everyone to discuss and exchange. The attendance system is strictly implemented during the training process. At the end of the training, all participants in the training were tested in both Chinese and English.

The participants said that the advanced seminar closely combined with the regulations, professional knowledge and inspection skills required for on-site inspection, the course design is reasonable, the content is rich and practical, and it has laid a good foundation on regulatory knowledge and professional technical for participants during food inspection such as special food on-site inspection.