China to improve food safety before WTO entry

China has succeeded in providing enough food for most of its populaion of 1.3 billion, but food safety has emerged as a new national concern, an article in Outlook Weekly said, China Daily reports. The making and selling of troubled foods such as poisonous rice and infected chickens has been rampant in some places in recent years, harming people and undermining public confidence, the article said. One of the most startling examples of the latter was the case of a Nanjing-based food company found to be recycling year-old stuffing for this year's mooncakes. Mooncakes are a traditional food for China's Mid-Autumn Festival, which fell on October 1 this year. The reported troubles do not reflect the vast improvements in food safety in China in recent years. About 88 per cent of domestic-made foods passed hygienic standards in 2000, up from 65 per cent in 1982, the Ministry of Health said. But that also means 12 per cent of food on the market is substandard and poses a threat to consumers. The article quoted Health Vice-Minister Yin Dakui as saying the problem is difficult to address despite the government's current efforts to eliminate them from the market. More than 100 deaths in China every year are caused by poisonous foods, he said. That figure may be low, though. A ministry inspector said the death toll is likely much higher because usually less than 5 per cent of such cases are ever discovered in developing countries. ccording to a survey by the magazine, more than 90 per cent of recipients said they are not confident about the safety of foods they eat every day. Some also worry that domestic food makers will fail to compete well after China joins the World Trade Organization, given that most WTO members have more vigorous safety standards for food. If domestic food makers can't improve their image, Chinese people won't buy their products, the article warned. "The development of domestic food industry will be very difficult if consumers don't trust food makers,"​ the article quoted Dong Jingsheng, deputy secretary-general of the China National Consumers Association. The number of government agencies involved in food administration should be reduced to improve efficiency. The government can opt to form a single department to supervise food safety "from farm to table," the article suggested. Some of this is being done. The Ministry of Health last year re-assessed the current standard on more than 400 food items. A new food safety standard system is expected to be launched before China's WTO entry, which is expected to occur in November, the article said. Some experts and officials have suggested modifying the current Law on Food Safety to add more specific and practical rules.