Detection of food-borne pathogens with polymerase chain reaction and introduction of food safety supervision system in China

Introduction Disease-causing pathogens in food are transmitted far and wide through current interconnected global food-chains and the morbidity of food-borne diseases is increasing dramatically. It is quite important for every county to share information and experience with each other in order to optimize monitoring system of food safety. Objectives To help people from other countries understand more about Chinese food safety information by introducing the application of polymerase chain reaction technique in the detection of food-borne pathogens and the food safety supervision system. Methods Official information and articles in Chinese Journal Full-Text Database and other academic databases have been searched and analyzed. Results The types of food-borne pathogens detected by polymerase chain reaction have increased dramatically and more applications of quantitative polymerase chain reaction in recent years have been observed. The implementation of a new food safety law has been strengthened and the supervision system of food safety optimized. Conclusion Techniques for improving the monitoring of food safety and the implementation of the new food safety law will improve the food safety situation in China significantly. This paper will be very helpful for people to understand more about the current Chinese food safety system.