A national food testing network will be set up by 2005 to ensure
the safety of the nation's food supply, sources from the Ministry
of Science and Technology said yesterday.
According to the blueprint, the government is planning to build two
or three national food safety centres, which are required to meet
the standards of an advanced international laboratory.
Meanwhile, about 450 national testing laboratories for food safety
are going to be constructed and included in the network.
Among them, about 40 will be chosen to join in testing with
international laboratories.
The ministry revealed a blueprint that will require an investment
of about 150 million yuan (US$18 million). The new system is also
believed to be well-suited to handle the constantly evolving
challenges brought on by China's entry into the World Trade
Organization (WTO).
Li
Xueyong, vice-minister of science and technology, said his ministry
will play a bigger role in providing advanced and quick food
testing methods in the future.
"Science and technology is at the heart of decision making in food
inspection," said Li.
However, China lags developed countries in contamination detection
equipment, testing data gathering and saving and the regulation of
safety standards, Li said.
By
2005, a national task force with about 600 advanced food safety
researchers will be set up.
Deng Nan, the ministry's other vice-minister who was authorized to
superintend the application of science in food safety, said the
action plan will also prevent harmful food from entering China.
"First, we should have advanced means to detect tainted food from
other economies, and second, in line with WTO rules, our safety
standards will be set up soon," Deng said.
Cooperating with food safety experts and quality inspection, public
health and agricultural authorities, Deng's ministry will suggest
about 500 food safety indices in the next two or three years.
Officials with the Ministry of Health admitted that food safety is
a problem that the government should not neglect.
"The government should take a package of measures to ensure
farm-to-table safety," said Vice-Minister of Health Ma Xiaowei.
According to Ma, the National People's Congress, China's top
legislature, is busy consolidating the food-safety legal
system.
(China Daily July 2, 2002)
|