Communication gap poses challenge to food industry: Expert

People are more aware of food safety but conflicting interpretations pose a challenge to the industry, food safety expert David Acheson told Xinhua.

Acheson, a former U.S. Food and Drug Administration official, founded food safety consulting firm The Acheson Group.

People are hungry for information, because they want to feel good about the food they eat, according to Melanie Neumann, vice president of The Acheson Group.

Food safety concerns the public. An amendment to the Food Safety Law, presented to China's legislature on Friday, proposed tougher penalties on those found to be putting the public at risk.

Companies have a duty to give, explain and convey food information, however, sometimes companies and scientists struggle to make this information "consumer-friendly", she added.

Acheson and Neumann both said food safety communication is a universal challenge, and it requires the combined efforts of the food industry, mainstream media and government.

They said a traceability regulation will ensure transparency and help identify the source of a food-related illness outbreak.

However, traceability is a reactive tool; It is more important to manage risks along the food supply chain.

"You have to get to the next level," said Acheson, elaborating that weaknesses in the supply chain should be identified and then managed.

Talking about preventing risks, Acheson noted the differences between food recalls in the United States and China.

The United States recall food as part of a preventive strategy, and 99 percent of the recalls are initiated by the food companies themselves, he said.

Whereas in China, recalls are seen as an admission of failure. As a result, the incentive to voluntarily recall potential problematic products is very low, said Acheson.H "If China can get to a point where recalls are seen as constructive, it would be a good thing," he added.

Acheson suggested regulators engage more with industry to help them meet the standards, in addition to their traditional roles of policymaker and police.

"[This is] missing in the United States, and I think it's probably missing in China," Acheson said.

However, Acheson remains optimistic. He said as long as regulators understand the industry, things will improve. Endi