China NIFDC Delegation Visits the UK Under OPSS–NIFDC MoU

In June 2026, a senior delegation from China’s National Institutes for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC) visited the UK as part of ongoing UK–China engagement under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the UK Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) and NIFDC. The visit followed the first technical exchange under the MoU, which took place in China in March 2026. [See news item]

The UK visit built on the discussions held in China and provided a further opportunity to consider how cooperation under the MoU can be taken forward in practice. As part of the programme, NIFDC visited the UKHSA laboratories at the Mary Lyon Centre for discussions with UK scientific experts from UKHSA and Mary Lyon Centre, helping to provide a wider picture of the UK’s scientific capability and research landscape. The visit also included a roundtable session on 10 June, supported by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), with senior DBT representatives helping to convene UK Government, expert bodies and industry.

The roundtable focused on the UK’s collaborative approach to New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) and their role in cosmetics safety assessment. It provided an opportunity to reflect on how Government, scientific bodies, independent expertise and industry each play a role in the wider UK NAMs ecosystem following the publication of the UK NAMs Strategy in November 2025.

The discussions also helped to shape thinking on future technical exchanges and areas of collaborative work with NIFDC. As China’s cosmetics regulatory framework continues to evolve, there is growing scope for continued dialogue and knowledge-sharing on the development and use of alternative methods in cosmetic safety assessment and for exploring opportunities to work together to support regulatory confidence over time.

CTPA is supporting the MoU implementation, enabled by the UK Government, by coordinating industry input and connecting NIFDC with relevant expertise from across the cosmetics sector. CTPA will continue to support future engagement under the MoU as this work progresses.