Xu Jinghe, director of legal affairs for the China Food and Drug Administration, holds a position pretty much equivalent to Michael R. Taylor, the deputy commissioner for foods at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Xu, who earlier this week announced that high-risk food industries in China will soon be required to obtain liability insurance, and Taylor, who at the same time issued some of the long-awaited Food Safety and Modernization Act rules, will soon be appearing on the same platform. They will both be among the headliners at the 8th annual China International Food Safety & Quality Conference (CIFSQ) being held Nov. 5-6, 2014, at the Longemont Hotel in Shanghai. Global sponsor for this year’s event is the Des Moines, IA-based International Association for Food Protection. Xu said that China FDA is working with the country’s authorities under the auspices of the State Council on the new requirements for liability coverage for food businesses involved in high-risk products such as dairy and meat. He says insurance coverage for food businesses will bring increased supervision from the carriers. China has lurched from one food safety scare to another this year, often involving U.S. brands that lost control over their supply chains. Perhaps as a result, interest is high in this 8th annual CIFSQ from both business and government leaders involved in food safety in China. Among CIFSQ’s government sponsors are FDA, the U.S Centers for Diseases Control & Prevention (CDC), the Global Food Traceability Center and China FDA. Others are the Certification and Accreditation Administration (CNCA), China National Food Industry Association (CNFIA), the China National Health and Family Planning Commission, Chinese Association for Food Protection in North America (CAFPNA) and the Department of Consumer Goods Industry, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Food Safety News is a media supporter of the 2014 CIFSQ. Conference information, including a complete list of the speakers, can be found on the CIFSQ website. Reduced-price registration is available until Sept. 30.