WELL INFORMED: Workers from food safety-related departments in Huaibei, Anhui Province, distribute brochures and information about food safety (XINHUA)

Risks remain

China's attempts to update and improve safety standards, while progressing overall, will ultimately be undermined unless action is taken against three lingering threats: pesticide residue, illegal additives and production safety and quality standards, said Jin Fazhong, Deputy Director of Product Quality and Safety Monitoring at the Ministry of Agriculture.

To address pesticide use, Jin said China should adopt a stricter production licensing system of the chemicals used and ensure that producers strictly adhere to timetables that allow any legal additives in livestock and crops to filter out of their respective products and decrease to safe, acceptable levels. A coding and tracking system for agricultural products should also be put in place.

Illegal additives led China's biggest milk powder producer Sanlu Group to bankruptcy in 2008 and caused the country's largest meat processor Shuanghui Group to suffer irreparable losses this year. These additives are not necessary to the final products, nor do they increase the quality or safety of agricultural products, Jin said.

When the clenbuterol problem surfaced in April, the Ministry of Agriculture and related departments kicked off a year-long campaign on the illegal production, sale and use of additives, and began investigating the entire meat production chain from pig breeding to slaughtering and finished product distribution.

Raising production safety standards and improving overall product quality are also needed, particularly when it comes to using additives deemed safe and appropriate. When growing watermelons in recent years, certain additives have been used to help them grow larger and faster. These additives will not threaten the quality or change the taste of the fruit but must be used cautiously, said Jin, especially as additives become a sensitive topic among the Chinese populace.

"The public's reaction shows we need to be more open and transparent on information about these additives. We need to offer useful consumer guidance and sufficient training and services on agricultural technologies to consumers and farmers," he said. "Providing information on production methods and proper consumption will be our next priority to help improve public awareness."

Focusing on supervision

"Food processors and retailers have to increase self-discipline, abide by the law and stick to their obligations in ensuring food safety," said Chen Junshi, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering. "It's necessary to raise public awareness on food safety and reinforce efforts to build credibility."

But Zhang Zesheng, Deputy Dean of the Food College at the Tianjin University of Science and Technology, said rules are ignored during production as companies try to reap heftier profits. This has become one root cause for most of the recent food safety problems, he said.

Law enforcement agencies that failed to identify and punish violations are also to be blamed, Zhang said. Supervision and monitoring have to be reinforced by the government, media and public to ensure food safety.

Supervising China's food-related industries to ensure food safety standards are upheld is by no means an easy task. Most of China's food processors are small businesses, with their large numbers adding to supervision difficulties. China now has 200 million poultry farmers, 4.3 million food retailers and 2.1 million restaurants, in addition to countless food stalls and street vendors, according to statistics from the State Council's OFSC. Of all the food processors, 80 percent have been in operation for less than 10 years and lack the experience and discipline of long-standing and experienced companies.

Oversight is necessary to rebuild consumer confidence in China's food industry. The large numbers of producers and food outlets require greater supervision, a challenge the government will have to undertake.