Details

Category: CHINA

Published: Sunday, 29 March 2015 13:50

Hits: 8164

Stricter measures needed to ensure food safety

Major companies must make sure they have strict procedures and measures to guarantee food safety, representatives from international food companies said Friday during a discussion at the Boao Forum for Asia.

When asked about the reaction toward partners who refuse to cooperate in food safety measures, Paul Conway, the vice-chairman of the US food giant Cargill, said his company will remove those partners from the supplier list. He said a high standard of transparency is important, as consumers are very sensitive over safety issues. If a company dares not to tell its consumers everything, the consumers will assume that you have bigger problems, he said.

Victoria Mars, chairman of another food giant, Mars Inc, said her company will build a global food security center in Beijing this year. Choosing Beijing was based on three considerations. First, the China market is huge, with plenty of supply as well as huge demand. Second, China will become a decisive force in terms of food security. Third, there is a big force of technological professionals in Beijing. It is also located close to the Chinese government, which makes cooperation easier.

Zhi Shuping, head of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, said governments of all levels have been using the strictest standard and the harshest punishments to improve food safety supervision in China. (People’s Daily)