Two decades' work

The two-day forum that ended Saturday took place a year after the enactment of the Food Safety Law, which went into effect June 1, 2009, and aims to strengthen the country's food-monitoring system, whose low efficiency has long been blamed for repeated food scandals.

"Food safety is a huge challenge to human beings. Every country is pushing on it," said Xu Jinghe, director of the Department of Food Safety Inspection under the State Food and Drug Administration.

"China's food-security laws, in terms of the concept, system and mechanism, are the best in the world," he said.

But Sang Liwei, a food-safety expert who participated in the revision of the country's Food Safety Law, told the Global Times that "The enforcement of the Food Safety Law is far from satisfactory. More than one department is taking charge of enforcing the law, and problems like departments passing the buck did exist."

"I suggest building provincial-level food-safety committees, which would be independent of govern-ment departments, to ensure a better enforcement of the law," he said.

"Besides, consumers are expected to update their consumption concept and realize every penny has its worth. Of course, setting up such committees is only a beginning, and the organization won't help without playing its role," he added.

At the forum, multiple measures have been raised to further address the issue.

Vice Commerce Minister Jiang Zengwei said his ministry will set up a system in 36 major cities in three years that will trace the sources and destinations of meats and vegetables.

For catering safety, direct and practical problems face the public, Bian Zhenjia, deputy director of the State Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said in a draft review of catering-service permits and catering-food safety, which is due to be released in the near term.

Zhang Yong, director of the State Council's Food Safety Commission Office, urged companies in the food industry to be conscientious.

More than 100 food manufacturers, including China National Cereals, Oils and Food-stuffs (CNCOF), and beverage giant Wahaha, signed a joint decoration Saturday to assure the public that they will maintain their credibility.

"The present food industry features a huge number of companies, which are small-scale and scattered. It may take the industry one or two decades to change the situation," Xu said. "I believe people will stop talking about food safety in 20 years."

(Global Times June 13, 2010)