Recently, the Energy and Environmental Development Research Center (EED) successfully won the bid for the World Bank Loan: China Food Safety Improvement Project (Activities of Yantai, Shandong). As one of China’s first international cooperation demonstration projects in the field of food safety, this project carries significant benchmark value.

The World Bank Loan: China Food Safety Improvement Project (Activities of Yantai, Shandong) has a total investment of RMB 1.483 billion, including USD 100 million financed by the World Bank. The project adopts an innovative “dual-wheel drive” model integrating both the regulatory chain and the industrial chain, systematically enhancing food safety assurance capabilities for aquatic products and other key categories. As the project management consulting service provider, EED will leverage its extensive experience in international financial institution projects to deliver comprehensive technical support and consulting services. These will cover key areas such as project management and coordination, procurement and contract management, financial management, environmental and social management, performance monitoring, and capacity building, ensuring the project is implemented in a standardized and efficient manner.

Clear Direction & Strengthened Execution

To ensure high-quality implementation, the project kick-off meeting was successfully held in Yantai, marking the official launch of project management consulting services. At the meeting, EED experts presented the overall framework and action plan for project management consulting, and reached consensus with stakeholders on the next steps. Dr. Liu Xin, Director of EED, remarked: “This project is not only an important milestone in advancing food safety in Yantai, but also a pioneering benchmark for regional cooperation in China’s food safety. EED will leverage professional strengths to help build a more resilient and internationally competitive food safety system for China.”

To strengthen executing capacity, EED organized a dedicated training session on the same day, covering core areas such as project management, procurement and contracts, financial management, and environmental and social management. More than 20 key staff members from the Yantai Project Management Office, the Marine Economy Research Institute, and other participating institutions attended. By combining case studies with hands-on exercises, the training effectively enhanced the project team’s professional execution capacity and standardized operational skills. 

Looking ahead, EED will continue to uphold the philosophy of “innovation, pragmatism, and efficiency”, and work with all stakeholders to advance China’s food safety governance to a higher level, thereby contributing to the realization of a “Healthy China”.