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China food safety publicity week launched in Beijing

2014-06-12 15:46 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Gu Liping
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Authorities in China have launched a national campaign to mark Food Safety Publicity Week.

The move is aimed at rebuilding public confidence in food safety, a sensitive issue for Chinese consumers, following a number of scandals in related industries in recent years.

Food Safety Publicity Week has been observed in China annually since 2011.

This year it highlights respect for morality, laws, and regulations.

Zhang Yong is the minister of the China Food and Drug Administration or CFDA.

"The food safety environment is positive in general though the possibility for problems remains. Violations of food safety laws are still rampant in some industries. This is the combined result of lapses in supervision, insufficient enforcement of laws and regulations, and the lack of moral sensibility."

China's food industry has been facing a crisis of confidence amid a series of food scares in the past eight years, including cancer-causing turbot fish, melamine-tainted milk powder, cadmium-tainted rice, and clenbuterol-contaminated pork.

Consumers are increasingly turning to green and organic foods. Many young parents even go to the trouble of buying infant formula from overseas.

But, Ji Xiaohua, CEO and founder of popular science website Guokr.com, says unfounded rumours about food safety also undermine the confidence of Chinese consumers.

"For instance, artificial eggs. The media has reported on these for years but we've never seen even one such egg. Other examples of nonsense rumours include using shoe soles to make bread, milk powder causing early puberty, and seafood and the food additive SMG being lethal. In the past few years, Our website, Guokr.com, has done analysis on more than 200 such cases."

Ji Xiaohua says to rebuilt confidence in the food safety system a lot of work needs to be done.

"Lack of confidence is the result of many factors. Food safety standards are sometimes too accommoding to manufacturers. Supervision departments need to be more professional. Our manufacturers are still used to minimizing the effect of food safety issues and compromise to rumors. Media sometimes forgoes journalism principles just to attract the public's attention. And of course, gullible consumers sometimes misinterpret information."

To improve public access to food safety information and knowledge, an app about food and drug safety has been launched by the administration.

Users can use the app to track the latest news and information on food, drugs, cosmetics, and medical appliances.

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