Objective To improve the normality, effectiveness, and rationality of China′s management system for products in contact with drinking water and proposed corresponding measures and suggestions.

Methods The horizontal comparison analysis was conducted to compare the domestic and foreign management systems for products in contact with drinking water from two dimensions of management basis and management process. Then, according to the comparison results, SWOT analysis was performed to elucidate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in China′s management system.

Results The United States, the European Union, and Japan started early in the management of such products, and they mostly appointed the third-party testing organizations for product safety evaluation and certification and adopted the market for supervision after product marketing. Third-party certification organizations in these countries and regions are generally mature, have sound testing standards, and produce reliable test results. China started late in building the management system but developed rapidly in this field, establishing a management system within a short period of time. In China, the health administrative department is responsible for the management of products in contact with drinking water throughout the whole chain. Meanwhile, China actively introduces relevant regulations and standards to maximize the protection of people′s health.

Conclusions The United States, the European Union, and Japan mainly rely on the market to manage products in contact with drinking water, with the government responsible for post-mortem supervision. China′s management system of products in contact with drinking water is characterized by government-guided standard formulation and implementation and emphasizes access mechanism but is weak in content updating. In the context of rapid development, new ideas should be incorporated into the management of products in contact with drinking water, thereby safeguarding the safety of drinking water.