Objective To analyze the current provincial food safety standards to make suggestions for the management. Methods Two hundred and forty-four provincial food safety standards released by provincial health administration departments were collected in this investigation. The classification, scope of the provincial food safety standards and the relationship with national food safety standards were analyzed. Results The main problems existing in the current provincial food safety standards include the unclear concept of “local characteristic food” and the inconsistency with the content and scope of the national food safety standards. Conclusion The management of provincial food safety standards should focus on clearing up the current provincial food safety standards, clarifying the concept of local characteristic food, and speeding up the construction of food safety standards system.