Guided by the Food Safety Law, we must use severe penalties to crack down on chaos, increase the severity of punishment, genuinely address the issue of low costs of violation, make lawbreakers pay a heavy price, and truly serve as a deterrent.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
For major food safety incidents, accountability must be enforced regardless of the region where they occur or the department involved. — Li Keqiang文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
According to Xinhua News Agency, yesterday, Li Keqiang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Vice Premier of the State Council, and Director of the State Council Food Safety Committee, attended and addressed a national teleconference on severely cracking down on the illegal addition and abuse of food additives. He stressed that prominent issues affecting food safety must be effectively resolved.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Li Keqiang said that food issues are no small matter, and ensuring safety is a major undertaking. This is directly related to the physical health and safety of the public, as well as the overall development of the economy and society. Some prominent food safety incidents that have recently occurred and been investigated are all related to the abuse or illegal use of additives in food production and business operations, to which the public pays close attention. The crackdown on the illegal addition of substances to food must be taken as an important entry point for ensuring food safety, with a focus on tracing sources and strengthening whole-process management.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Li Keqiang emphasised that illegal food additives are highly dangerous, and once a problem occurs, it has a wide social impact and easily triggers a chain reaction, which must be taken extremely high. Using the Food Safety Law as the benchmark, severe measures must be taken against chaos, penalties must be increased, the problem of low costs of violation must be genuinely changed, and lawbreakers must pay a heavy price to truly play a deterrent role. Once illegal additives are discovered, they must be investigated and dealt with promptly, the problematic products must be sealed off at the first opportunity, production and business operations must be ordered to suspend, and severe economic penalties must be imposed. For deliberate additions, licences and permits must be revoked in all cases, equipment must be confiscated, and those in charge of the enterprise shall not be allowed to engage in the related food industry again.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
■ Publish文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
General standard for food additives to be introduced within the year文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Gutter oil, lean meat powder, dyed steamed buns, beef extract... There has been a frequent occurrence of food safety issues recently, which has drawn high attention from all quarters. Yesterday, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Notice on Severely Combating Illegal Food Addition Behaviour and Earnestly Strengthening the Regulation of Food Additives" (hereinafter referred to as the Notice), which will crack down hard on various illegal behaviours endangering food safety, including illegal addition behaviour, and requires the Ministry of Health to formulate national standards for new varieties of food additives.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Sales文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Crackdown on illegal dens storing banned additives文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
The circular requires industry and commerce departments to supervise food additive sellers in establishing and strictly implementing procurement inspection and sales ledger systems, and to severely crack down on unlicensed operations and illegal sales of counterfeit and shoddy food additives.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Furthermore, the notice requires strict monitoring and a resolute crackdown on the sale of illegal food additives via the internet and other methods. In key areas such as rural regions, urban-rural fringes, and county borders, as well as key locations including enterprise-leased factories, workshops, and warehouses, as well as temporary urban buildings and rented residential properties, local authorities must organise regular inspections to promptly discover and thoroughly eradicate illegal “black spots” manufacturing and storing illegal additives, and resolutely smash underground sales channels.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Use文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Strictly regulate hotpot restaurants and other establishments using additives文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
While cracking down on illegal additives, the circular demands stronger supervision over the use of food additives.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
The notice requires the Ministry of Health and the State Food and Drug Administration to formulate regulations on the use of food additives in the catering service sector as soon as possible, clarify the types of food additives permitted for use, guide catering service units in the standardised use of food additives, and prohibit false publicity and the deception of consumers.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Furthermore, the Food and Drug Administration must strengthen its supervision of food additive use by catering service providers offering hotpots, homemade drinks, homemade seasonings, and other such services.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Regulation文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Establish a special fund to reward informants文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Given that public opinion is a necessary means of regulation, the circular further requires the strengthening of social oversight. It explicitly states that local governments at all levels must establish and improve reward systems for food safety whistleblowing, set up dedicated reward funds, improve working mechanisms, designate specialized departments in responsibility, effectively implement rewards for whistleblowers, protect the legitimate rights and interests of whistleblowers, and encourage insiders within production and business operations units to report violations.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
At the same time, the notice proposes that regulations on the management of food safety informants and auxiliary officers should be formulated in light of local conditions, and that the teams of food safety informants and auxiliary officers should be strengthened.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Regarding the media that play an important role in public opinion oversight, the circular states that it will actively support news media oversight, seriously investigate issues exposed by the media, respond promptly to social concerns, and make public the food safety cases investigated and dealt with. At the same time, false news is to be cracked down upon, and those who fabricate false news that causes social panic will be held strictly accountable.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
In accordance with the notice requirements, local governments at and above the county level shall have unified responsibility and leadership over the work of cracking down on the illegal addition and abuse of food additives within their administrative regions, treating it as a priority in food safety work. Principal officials must take personal charge, and officials in charge must take direct responsibility. In addition, supervision departments must step up accountability efforts and hold individuals accountable in accordance with the law and disciplinary regulations for dereliction of duty or malfeasance.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Standard文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Food additive standards are to be introduced文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
A schedule for the introduction of food additive standards is to be established. The notice requires the Ministry of Health to formulate national standards for new varieties of food additives, and to formulate and publish general safety standards for compound food additives and standards for the labelling of food additives by the end of 2011.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
For food additives without a national standard for the time being, relevant enterprises or industry organisations may, in accordance with relevant regulations, submit an application for formulating product standards by reference to international organisations or relevant national standards, and the Ministry of Health, together with relevant departments, shall accelerate the formulation of food additive standards. The Ministry of Health and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine shall formulate and issue relevant measures as soon as possible to ensure the transition of production licensing and regulatory oversight prior to the completion of standard formulation.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Autonomy文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Establish safety credit records for food businesses within the year文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Food businesses play a crucial role in the food safety regulatory process. The notice requires the strengthening of corporate integrity and self-discipline, and proposes that by the end of 2011, regulatory authorities at all levels should establish food safety credit records for all food producers and operators according to their respective systems.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
At the same time, industry associations in sectors such as food and food additives must earnestly shoulder the responsibility for self-regulation, actively organise enterprises to carry out self-inspection, self-correction and internal supervision, strengthen industry supervision and training, promptly identify problems existing within the industry, and issue circulars of criticism against those that fail to discover and report them in a timely manner. Reporter Sun Qian, People's Daily文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Interpretation文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Strictened the use of additives in the catering industry文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
According to Associate Professor Zhu Yi from the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering at China Agricultural University, the main current problems regarding the practical use of food additives are the treatment of illegal additives as food additives, and the excessive and out-of-scope use of food additives. She stated that the document on food additives recently issued by the General Office of the State Council focuses on three main areas.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
First, regulations on the use of food additives in the catering service sector have been made stricter, whereas previously, standards for additive use in the catering industry were lacking. "A Di Xiang" and beef extract, which have received a great deal of media coverage recently, are prominent examples. In fact, while large and small enterprises in our country currently produce thousands of types of flavourings, there are only just over 40 national standards. The absence of relevant standards has led to blind spots in supervision, and this document also focuses on resolving this issue.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Secondly, attention was drawn to the issue of label labelling; while the vast majority of the wide variety of food additives on the market indicate their dosage in the packaging instructions, their chemical compositions are rarely listed in full, an intellectual property protection issue involved herein that may have been overlooked by the relevant authorities.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Third, we promised to formulate and publish general safety standards for compound food additives by the end of 2011. So-called compound food additives are a mixture of several food additives blended according to a specific processing technique, which are then added to food to improve its quality and taste or to meet the requirements of food processing. In this stage, greater attention needs to be paid to the safety and stability of the additives after compounding, and reasonable hygiene standards must be established to prevent food safety incidents.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Our reporter Wang Weiwei文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Response文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Ministry of Health denies food safety standards are looser than those abroad文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Recently, some media reports claimed that “China's food safety standards differ between domestic and foreign markets, and are more lenient than foreign standards.” Yesterday, the Ministry of Health issued an announcement stating that differences do indeed exist among food standards in various countries internationally, and that China's standards are basically consistent with international standards. Furthermore, enterprises are encouraged to formulate enterprise standards that are stricter than national standards based on international competition needs.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Data show that for many years the pass rate of China's food exports has remained above 99.8%, while the pass rate of food sold domestically is above 90%. Although the gap is only nine percentage points, it exposes the awkwardness of having “different standards for domestic and overseas markets” in food safety.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
The Ministry of Health stated that countries have formulated specific food safety standards based on the results of food safety risk assessments, differences in food consumption and dietary structures, and the actual conditions of production and operation. Differences in standards objectively exist and have a scientific basis. Chinese enterprises may, based on market competition or to help build a corporate image, formulate enterprise standards and management systems that are stricter than national standards, and the state encourages such actions by enterprises. Differences between different countries, as well as between national standards and enterprise standards, are all objective realities and will exist for a long time.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Previously, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that heavy metals such as arsenic and lead contained in Nestlé infant complementary foods did not exceed Chinese standards. Whether “China's food safety standards are more lenient than foreign standards” has long been one of consumers' confusions regarding food safety.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
In response, the Ministry of Health stated that following accession to the WTO, China's food safety standard work has gradually aligned with international practices. Taking pollutant limit standards in food as an example, the compliance rate between China's standards and the Codex Alimentarius Commission standards in terms of items and indicator values exceeds 70%. It is worth noting that comparisons between different national standards should be comprehensive and objective, rather than based solely on individual standards or indicators. For instance, substances such as ractopamine and benzoyl peroxide, which are permitted for use abroad, are prohibited in China. Overall, in accordance with the requirements of the Food Safety Law, China is gradually reviewing and improving a unified food safety standard system, which basically complies with or approaches Codex Alimentarius standards.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Our reporter Wang Weiwei文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
■ Connecting to Beijing文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Guo Jinlong: Using food safety work to measure the standard of government work文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Yesterday afternoon, a special municipal work meeting on cracking down on illegal food additives and the abuse of food additives was held in the city.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Guo Jinlong pointed out that departments, districts and counties must regard strengthening food safety as an important task for improving people's livelihoods and as an important indicator for measuring the performance of government work. Guo Jinlong demanded that the launch of the special campaign to crack down on the illegal addition and abuse of food additives be used as a breakthrough and driving force, insisting on scientific testing and whole-process supervision, strengthening comprehensive governance in urban-rural fringe areas, and stepping up administrative accountability.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/
Regarding the regulation of food additives in the city, Ji Wei, head of the Food Division at the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce, explained that the Beijing industry and commerce authorities currently control the abuse of food additives primarily through random inspections. The Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce conducts regular and irregular random inspections of various foods. When it is discovered that a vendor has not used additives in accordance with the regulations, the vendor is required to pull the non-compliant food from the shelves, and the matter is reported to the quality supervision authorities. As journalists discovered through inquiries, substances such as cyclamate, tartrazine, sunset yellow, ponceau 4R, and saccharin sodium have all been detected in the lists of pulled food products published weekly by the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce.文章源自FOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/en/11308/