Source: Taiyuan News Network文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
Break open a tomato to check its color, grab a handful of rice to examine its luster, take a bite of an egg to taste its flavor, bite into a steamed bun to smell the wheat aroma... Yesterday morning, the “3·15 Citizen Observation Team,” jointly initiated by Taiyuan Evening News, the Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce, and the Municipal Consumers Association, launched its first stop. Twelve citizens, together with staff from the Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce and the Municipal Consumers Association, visited the food processing enterprise Liangyuan Group, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the food on their dining tables through looking, smelling, tasting, touching, and asking.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
“The food we eat nowadays is too worrying.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
The citizen observation team was composed of 20 citizens, the oldest being 64 and the youngest being 5. They came from Taiyuan Railway, the Housing Management Bureau, the Municipal Federation of Trade Unions, and kindergartens, while others were self-employed. Their common concern was that many foods nowadays make people uneasy about eating them.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
“The sense of crisis that food issues bring me is very serious. Milk, steamed buns, pork... these daily necessities for ordinary people are either contaminated with melamine or whitening agents. Even noodles can be used as matchsticks. I really want to see how the things I eat are actually produced.” Observer Hu Min's remarks were highly representative.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
“Exactly! My mom says the milk I used to drink can't be drunk anymore. She keeps saying there are additives. Why do they add additives? What are additives?” Five-year-old Xiao Jingtian was very interested in additives.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
Observer Cheng Yongli said: “I never eat sesame paste from hot pot restaurants. I heard from friends that sesame paste is made from bad sesame seeds, rotten peanuts, and even crushed instant noodle bits. As for sesame oil, some is just blended oil mixed with ‘one-drop fragrance.” It's really too difficult to eat something pure nowadays."文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
Liangyuan Group, which voluntarily signed up this time to receive citizen visits, is located in Wangda Township, Qingxu County. It mainly deals in organic vegetables, organic stone-ground flour, organic stone-milled rice, free-range eggs, and finished staple foods. It is a large-scale agricultural product circulation enterprise and was also a key enterprise undertaking our province's “Safe Grain and Oil Project” in 2009.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
“The food here is reassuring.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
At around 9 a.m., the observation team arrived at Liangyuan Group. Having the opportunity to enter a food processing enterprise, the 20 citizens clearly did not let slip the chance to learn about the company up close. As soon as they got off the bus, the visiting citizens took photos with digital cameras, recorded with video cameras, and took notes in small notebooks, appearing especially attentive.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
In the steamed bun processing workshop, the aroma of steamed buns rushed toward them. The steamed buns here were different from those commonly seen by citizens—not so bright white, but somewhat yellowish in color. After breaking open a piece of steamed bun and taking a bite, Observer Hu Min nodded quietly and commented: “The steamed buns here are delicious. They feel dense when bitten, layer by layer. Judging from the color, they definitely haven't added whitening agents.” Sixty-four-year-old He Bingyuan took a big bite of a steamed bun and chimed in: "The flavor is very fragrant. It reminds me of the steamed buns my family made over a decade ago. Steamed buns should be yellowish. Nowadays, those bright white steamed buns just don't have any fragrance."文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
“Want to know why these steamed buns taste so good? Follow me.” Liang Yuejin, the person in charge of Liangyuan Group, led the observation team into the flour production workshop. The entire production process—washing wheat, drying wheat, and grinding wheat—won the admiration of the observers, who could hardly believe that the steamed buns in their hands were processed this way.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
“Not bad, not bad. With such a transparent production process, people can eat with peace of mind.” Observer Li Fuguang introduced to his daughter how steamed buns were made while touring.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
In the stone-milled rice processing area, a stone mill turned slowly and steadily, and pale yellow paddy rice had its husk removed under the pressure of the stone mill. The low-speed operation of the stone mill kept the rice at a low temperature, so the rice processed this way retained more nutrients. After listening to the workshop staff's introduction, observation team member Hu Min grabbed a small handful of rice from under the stone mill, then grabbed another handful from the packaging workshop, held them in the sunlight for careful comparison, checked for differences, and asked whether these rice products were the same.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
Afterwards, the observers also tasted organic tomatoes, cucumbers, and free-range eggs at the Organic Agricultural Product Development Center. “This is the kind of food I can eat with peace of mind. Even if the price is a bit higher, consumers can accept it, because what we want is safety and health.” Observer Huo Aizhong stated that she would choose organic food in the future.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
“Food enterprises must have a conscience.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
After touring the food production workshops, members of the citizen observation team were not satisfied merely with what they had seen; they were even more concerned about whether the sources of these products were reliable. At the symposium with the enterprise's person in charge, observation team members actively asked questions, one after another.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
Ma Wenbin from the Complaint Department of the Municipal Consumers Association was the first to raise a question: “In the market, there are many types of organic food, and the good and the bad are mixed together. Food labeled as organic doubles in value. How can consumers distinguish the genuine from the fake?”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
“Organic food must meet standards in all four stages—production, transportation, processing, and finally the finished product—and pass certification. Only such food is organic food. If an enterprise does not have its own production base, then it is difficult to guarantee that the products it produces are organic food. To tell whether organic food on the market is real or fake, one should see whether the producing enterprise has a production base. This can basically determine whether the enterprise guarantees from the source that raw materials are produced according to organic standards.” Liang Yuejin replied.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
Ma Wenbin asked again: “Organic vegetables are good, but the price is on the high side, and not all citizens can afford them. Has the enterprise considered lowering the retail price through farmer-supermarket direct purchasing?”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
Liang Yuejin answered: “Our enterprise is currently in negotiations with Meet All and plans to enter 48 of its chain stores for exclusive sales. As long as the scale increases, the retail price will come down.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
Citizen Wu Jun asked: “How do you ensure the raw materials are reliable? Have farmers and the enterprise signed agreements?”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
“We purchase vegetables and grain grown by farmers at high prices. There are dedicated personnel monitoring them, and a three-level guarantee ensures farmers strictly follow the standards for organic vegetable cultivation.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
Citizen Hu Min asked: “Do vegetables in greenhouses also use chemical fertilizers?”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
“Organic vegetables also use fertilizer. The fertilizer is biological organic fertilizer, produced through cooperation between the enterprise and Shanxi Agricultural University, Shanxi University, and other universities.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
He Bingyuan asked: “Safe, nutritious food is better than good medicine. When ordinary people buy safe and healthy food, it is equivalent to saving money on medicine and health supplements. For this kind of good food, can the enterprise increase supply?”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
“Organic food requires a production base first before production can proceed, but currently the bases are limited. In the future, the enterprise will gradually expand production scale according to market demand.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
Citizen Li Fuguang suggested: “After visiting the enterprise, we now feel reassured about the food here. Can the enterprise invite more citizens to visit?”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/
“That consumers can come visit is an encouragement to us. We hope more consumers will come in and visit on site. With everyone's support, we will make our food even better."文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/am/11298/