Diners eat hotpot at a restaurant in Chengdu, Sichuan province. [Photo/Xinhua]

New measures regarding food safety in China's rural areas are being taken in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, including advance reporting of large-scale group meals with over 100 attendants. 

On Sunday, the Sichuan government approved a new regulation, Sichuan Provincial Measures for the Management of Food Safety in Rural Group Meals, to further strengthen the management of food safety and prevent systemic food safety risks in rural areas. According to the regulation, group meals with over 100 participants must be reported in advance, different levels of guidance must be implemented, and education on stopping food waste must be intensified. 

Sichuan has a vast rural area, with a deep-rooted culture of self-hosted banquets and group meals, which are prone to food safety accidents. Statistics from the Sichuan Provincial Market Supervision Bureau show that in 2019, more than 3.14 million meals with over 100 diners were held in Sichuan. However, there were no special laws or regulations to administer these group meals, and regulatory basis for the supervision of food safety in rural areas was lacking.

According to the regulation, a group meal with over 100 diners must be reported in advance. The host should submit a form two days before the meal is hosted, containing information including time, number of participants, venue conditions and main dishes, among others. 

The regulation also calls for an end to food waste at group meals in rural areas, advocating simple meals for weddings and funerals. Meal hosts should purchase food in accordance with actual needs, and avoid wasting food.