The new regulations on food sales by live-streaming e-commerce operators provide consumers with greater protection for their rights.

Reporters learned from the news conference held by the State Administration for Market Regulation this afternoon that the "Regulations on the Supervision and Management of Food Safety Responsibilities by Live E-commerce Operators" have been officially released and will be formally implemented on March 20th this year. When consumers purchase food in live broadcasts, they often face difficulties in safeguarding their rights and proving their claims. Reporters learned that this new regulation also includes many targeted measures to safeguard consumer rights. A comprehensive protection system has been constructed from the three aspects of safeguarding channels, regulatory support, and punitive deterrence. In terms of safeguarding channels construction, the new regulation requires the live e-commerce platforms to set up buttons or links in prominent positions on the live page, open convenient channels for food safety complaints and reports, to ensure that consumers can supervise in real-time and safeguard their rights conveniently and promptly. After receiving complaints and reports, the platform is required to handle them in a timely manner, forming a closed-loop management system to solve the problem of consumers' difficulty in safeguarding their rights. In terms of regulatory support, the new regulation clearly states that the market supervision department will include live food businesses in the annual random inspection plan, conduct supervision and random inspections, and risk monitoring to achieve full coverage of food sampling categories and early detection of risks; at the same time, it is stipulated that the technical monitoring records of the regulatory department can be used as electronic data evidence for administrative penalties, addressing the regulatory pain point of "difficult evidence" and providing strong support for consumer rights protection. In terms of punishment intensity, the new regulation establishes a tiered punishment system, which not only clarifies the legal basis but also increases the cost of violations: firstly, platforms that fail to fulfill obligations such as registration verification, reporting, and disposal will be fined accordingly according to the Food Safety Law. Secondly, operators who violate regulations regarding training, compliance audits, selection management, and behavioral norms will be ordered to make corrections within a specified period, and if they refuse to make corrections or the situation is severe, a fine of 10,000 to 100,000 yuan will be imposed. Thirdly, those who have not established management system for live streaming and have not verified qualifications will be penalized according to the Food Safety Law. Fourthly, those who have not disclosed permit information for live streaming will be penalized according to the E-commerce Law.