Source: Taiyuan News Network文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
Breaking open a tomato to check its colour, grabbing a handful of rice to inspect its sheen, taking a bite of an egg to taste its flavour, and biting into a steamed bun to smell the wheat aroma... Yesterday morning, the “3.15 Citizens” Observation Group', jointly initiated by the Taiyuan Evening News, the Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce, and the Municipal Consumers' Association, set off on its first leg. Twelve citizens, together with staff from the Administration and the Consumers' Association, visited the food processing enterprise Liangyuan Group to gain a comprehensive understanding of the food on our tables through looking, smelling, tasting, touching, and questioning.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
“The food we eat nowadays is really upsetting.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
The citizens' observation group is made up of 20 members, ranging in age from 64 at the oldest to 5 at the youngest. They come from Taiyuan Railway, the Housing Management Bureau, the Municipal Federation of Trade Unions, and kindergartens, while others are self-employed. Their shared view is that many foods nowadays cause people to worry about their safety.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
The sense of crisis brought on by food safety issues is very acute for me. Milk, steamed buns, pork... these daily essentials for ordinary people are tainted with either melamine or bleaching agents; noodles can even be used like matches. I really want to see how the things I eat are actually produced. Observer Hu Min's comment is very representative.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
“That's right, my mum says I can't drink the milk I used to have anymore, she's always going on about additives. Why do they put additives in anyway? What even is an additive?” Five-year-old Jingtian was very curious about additives.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
Observer Cheng Yongli said: “I never eat sesame paste at hotpot restaurants. I heard from a friend that sesame paste is processed from bad sesame seeds, rotten peanuts, and even crushed instant noodles, and as for sesame oil, some of it is just blended oil mixed with ‘Yidi Xiang” flavour enhancer. Nowadays, it's really hard to eat any genuinely pure food."文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
Liangyuan Group, which took the initiative to sign up this time and welcome citizens for a tour, is located in Wangda Township, Qingxu County. Mainly dealing in organic vegetables, organic stone-milled flour, organic stone-ground rice, free-range eggs, and finished staple foods, it is a large-scale agricultural products distribution enterprise and also a key enterprise undertaking our province's “Reassuring Grain and Oil Project” in 2009.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
“The food here is reassuring”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
At around 09:00, the observation delegation arrived at the Liangyuan Group. Having the opportunity to go inside a food processing enterprise, the 20 members of the public clearly did not want to miss the chance to understand the company at close range. As soon as they got off the bus, the visiting citizens took photos with digital cameras, filmed with video cameras, and made notes in small notebooks, appearing exceptionally diligent.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
In the steamed bun processing workshop, the aroma of steamed buns rushed over. The steamed buns here were different from the ones commonly seen by the public; they were not that bright white, and the colour was somewhat yellowish. Breaking off a piece of the steamed bun and taking a bite, observer Hu Min nodded inwardly, commenting: The steamed bun here is delicious, with a solid bite, layered, and judging by the colour, it definitely doesn't contain brighteners. Sixty-four-year-old He Bingyuan took a big bite of the steamed bun, picked up the conversation and said: It tastes very fragrant, which reminds me of the steamed buns steamed at home more than a decade ago. Steamed buns should be yellowish. Now you can't taste the aroma in those bright white steamed buns.“文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
“Want to know why these steamed buns taste so good? Follow me.” Liang Yuejin, head of Liangyuan Group, led the observation delegation into the flour production workshop. The comprehensive production processes of wheat washing, drying, and milling left the observers deeply impressed, hardly believing that the steamed buns in their hands were processed this way.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
“Brilliant, brilliant, with such a transparent production process, everyone can eat the steamed buns with peace of mind.” Observer Li Fuguang explained how the steamed buns were made to his daughter while taking the tour.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
In the stone-milled rice processing area, a stone mill turned steadily, its pressure stripping the husks from the pale yellow grains of rice. The slow rotation of the stone mill kept the rice at a low temperature, allowing the rice processed this way to retain more nutrients. After listening to the workshop employee's explanation, Hu Min, a member of the observation delegation, grabbed a small handful of rice from beneath the stone mill, then grabbed another handful from the packaging workshop, and took them out into the sunlight to compare them carefully, check for similarities and differences, and ask whether these two batches of rice were the same product.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
Subsequently, the observers also tasted organic tomatoes, cucumbers, and free-range eggs at the Organic Food Development Centre. “It's only with food like this that I can eat with peace of mind. Even if the price is a bit higher, consumers will accept it, because what we want is safety and health,” said observer Huo Aizhong, adding that she would choose organic food in the future.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
“Food businesses must have a conscience”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
After touring the food production workshop, members of the citizen observation group were not satisfied with just what they saw, and were more concerned about whether the sources of these products were reliable. During the symposium with the company executives, the observation group members asked questions actively, throwing them out one after another.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
Ma Wenbin from the Municipal Consumers“ Association Complaints Department first raised the question: ”There is a huge variety of organic foods of varying quality on the market, and foods with organic labels command a much higher price—how can consumers tell the real from the fake?"文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
“Organic food must meet standards and pass certification across all four stages—production, transport, processing, and final product—before it can truly be considered organic food. If an enterprise does not have its own production base, it is difficult to guarantee that the products it manufactures are organic. Whether the organic food on the market is genuine or fake depends on whether the producer has a production base; this allows one to basically determine whether the enterprise ensures from the source that raw materials are produced according to organic standards,” Liang Yuejin replied.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
Ma Wenbin asked again: “Organic vegetables are good, but the price is on the high side and not every citizen can afford them. Have companies considered lowering the retail price through direct farm-supermarket links?”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
Liang Yuejin replied, “Our company is currently in talks with Meeteah, planning to set up specialty shops in all 48 of its chain stores. Once we achieve scale, retail prices will come down.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
Citizen Wu Jun asked: “How can we ensure that the raw materials are reliable? Do the farmers sign agreements with the enterprises?”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
We buy vegetables and grains grown by farmers at high prices, with dedicated personnel monitoring and a three-tier guarantee ensuring farmers strictly follow organic crop cultivation standards.“文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
Citizen Hu Min asked: “Do the vegetables in the polytunnels also use chemical fertilisers?”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
Organic vegetables also use fertiliser. The fertiliser is bio-organic fertiliser, which is produced in cooperation with universities such as Shanxi Agricultural University and Shanxi University.“文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
He Bingyuan asked: “Safe and nutritious food is better than medicine. When everyday people buy safe and healthy food, it is like saving money that would have been spent on medicine and health supplements. Can enterprises increase the supply of such good food?”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
“Organic food needs to have production bases first, and then production can take place, but currently these bases are limited. In the future, enterprises will gradually expand their production scale according to market demand.”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
Citizen Li Fuguang suggested: “Having visited the enterprise, we feel confident about the food here. Could the enterprise invite more citizens to visit?”文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/
“Consumers coming to visit is an incentive for us, and we hope more consumers will walk in and visit us on-site. With everyone's support, we will make our food even better."文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11298/