Taizhou city issues landmark food business license to KFC

The newly opened KFC outlet in the Taishangli commercial plaza – located in Taizhou in East China's Jiangsu province – on July 9 received the city's first food business license under the new "notification commitment" system for food chain companies.

A KFC spokesperson said the franchise was very positive indeed about the initiative.

In the past, we had to wait for an on-site inspection before getting a  business license. Now, through the notification commitment review, our new store received the license on the same day of application," said Lyu Na from KFC.

As the first enterprise to obtain a food business license through the commitment system, the Taishangli KFC outlet saw its licensing time reduced from 20 working days to immediate issuance – greatly facilitating the establishment of retail chains in Taizhou.

In May, the market regulation department and the city's data bureau issued a trial work plan for the Taizhou food business licensing notification commitment system.

The plan stipulates that newly established food chain outlets that qualify  can skip the on-site inspection process entirely.

However, the new system is not a free pass for businesses. The local  authority explained that subsequent in-process and post-process supervision would be beefed up.

Within 30 working days of a license issuance, on-site inspections will be conducted. If any discrepancies between the commitments and the actual situation are found, businesses will be required to rectify them within a specified period.

Failure to do so will result in the revocation of the license and legal consequences – helping to ensure a seamless connection between market access and regulation and rooting the notification commitment system firmly in practice.

Moving forwards, the city's market regulation bureau plans to implement and promote the system for food business licensing across Taizhou.