Livestreaming E-commerce Food Sales Get Major Regulatory Overhaul in China

• Platforms: Real-time risk monitoring, merchant screening, and anchor training.
• Anchors/Room Operators: Product sampling, truthful disclosure, and formal management systems.
• MCN Agencies: Pre-compliance content review and daily operational oversight.
• Regulators: Enhanced enforcement via specific penalty clauses and prohibited lists.

On December 23rd, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (Guojia Shichang Jiandu Guanli Zongju 国家市场监督管理总局) dropped a bombshell at a press conference.

They’re rolling out sweeping new rules for food safety in livestreaming e-commerce.

The official name?
“Provisions on the Supervision and Administration of Livestreaming E-commerce Operators in Implementing Primary Responsibility for Food Safety.”

Translation: The government is getting serious about what’s being sold in livestream shopping channels.

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Why This Matters (And Why It’s Happening Now)

Livestream shopping is massive in China.

Think TikTok Shop meets HSN, but on steroids, with millions of concurrent viewers throwing money at products in real-time.

The problem?

Food safety violations are rampant.

Shady sellers make wild health claims.

Products get shipped without proper certifications.

Influencers promote sketchy supplements to massive audiences.

Consumers get hurt.

The government steps in.

This new regulation is China’s attempt to crack down on the Wild West that livestream food commerce has become.

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What’s Actually Changing? Breaking Down the New Rules

1. Platforms Are Now Responsible (Finally)

Here’s the big shift: Livestreaming e-commerce platform operators can no longer hide behind “we’re just a marketplace” excuses.

The new provisions spell out exactly what platforms must do:

• Screen and register merchants selling food
• Train livestreaming anchors on food safety
• Conduct regular food safety self-inspections
• Implement risk control measures
• Handle illegal acts and violations

Platforms must now build what regulators call a “Food Safety Risk Control List.”

This list includes:

• Qualifications of livestreaming room operators
• Specific food items being sold
• Whether livestreaming behavior complies with laws and regulations

The goal is to create an “intelligent monitoring, investigation and scheduling, and rapid disposal” system.

In plain English: Platforms need real-time surveillance and fast action, not just reactive responses after someone gets sick.

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2. Room Operators and Anchors Get Specific Obligations

Individual livestreamers and the people running their broadcast channels now have formal responsibilities across three critical stages:

• Pre-broadcast: Compliance review and approval before going live
• During broadcast: Truthful information disclosure and product sampling verification
• Post-broadcast: Documentation and follow-up on any claims made

Specific new requirements include:

• Establish and implement formal food safety management systems
• Maintain strict product selection protocols
• Appoint dedicated food safety management staff
• Conduct product sampling and testing before promotion
• Ensure all food information is truthful and comprehensive

Translation: You can’t just wing it and hope nothing bad happens.

There’s now documented accountability at every step.

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3. MCNs (Talent Agencies) Are Now Legally Liable Too

Marketing service agencies (MCNs)—the companies that represent and manage multiple livestreamers—now have skin in the game.

They must:

• Train their roster of anchors on food safety compliance
• Manage daily operations with food safety in mind
• Implement pre-compliance review mechanisms for content
• Establish food sampling inspection systems
• Oversee product selection for their represented talent
• Ensure food-related information is released truthfully and accurately
• Prohibit selling non-compliant or unsafe food products

For MCNs that have built their business model on fast growth and minimal oversight?

This is a wake-up call.

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4. Penalties Are Getting Teeth

The provisions detail specific legal liabilities and penalty clauses for violations.

This isn’t vague anymore.

The regulations now include:

• Categories of food explicitly prohibited from livestream sales
• Specific instances of failure to perform legal obligations
• Enhanced enforcement mechanisms tied to existing laws and regulations

The message is clear: Break the rules, face consequences.

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What Does This Mean for Founders and Investors?

If you’re building in the livestream commerce space (or considering investing in it), this regulation is a major inflection point.

The Challenges

• Compliance costs spike: Building monitoring systems, hiring compliance staff, and conducting regular audits requires real investment
• Margins compress: Platforms now have more operational overhead to maintain regulatory standing
• Speed slows: Pre-broadcast compliance reviews mean you can’t just launch products on a whim anymore
• MCN profitability questions: Agencies that scaled by being hands-off with anchors now need to actively manage and train them

The Opportunities

• Consolidation play: Large, well-capitalized platforms can absorb compliance costs better than smaller competitors; market share could concentrate
• Compliance tech: New startups could build automated monitoring, product verification, and documentation systems for livestream operators
• Trust premium: Platforms that achieve strong compliance track records can position themselves as the “safe” choice and command higher brand loyalty
• Premium anchor recruitment: Top-tier talent will gravitate toward MCNs and platforms that have already built robust compliance infrastructure

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The Bigger Picture: China’s Regulatory Playbook

This isn’t random.

It’s part of China’s broader pattern of tightening regulation around high-growth digital commerce sectors.

The government is essentially saying: “Yeah, livestream shopping is awesome for economic growth, but not at the expense of consumer safety.”

It mirrors similar crackdowns in food delivery, ride-sharing, and short-form video platforms.

The formula is consistent:

• Industry explodes with minimal oversight
• Safety issues or fraud emerge
• Media covers incidents
• Government drafts comprehensive rules
• All stakeholders (platforms, merchants, agencies) become responsible
• Market matures with higher standards

We’re watching this play out in real-time with livestream e-commerce.

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Bottom Line: Livestreaming Food Sales Are Growing Up

Livestream e-commerce food sales won’t disappear because of this regulation.

If anything, the market will probably grow faster now that trust barriers are lowered.

But the Wild West days are officially over.

Platforms, anchors, MCNs, and merchants now operate under a defined regulatory framework with real consequences for violations.

For serious operators? This is good news—it levels the playing field and removes scammers.

For those cutting corners? Time to shape up or ship out.

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References

• CCTV News – CCTV (Zhongyang Guozi Tai 中央电视台)
• State Administration for Market Regulation (Guojia Shichang Jiandu Guanli Zongju 国家市场监督管理总局)
• Finance Channel – East Money (Dongfang Caifu 东方财富)