Source: Taiyuan News NetworkบทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/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 and smell the wheat fragrance... Yesterday morning, the “3·15 Citizen Observation Group,” jointly initiated by Taiyuan Evening News, the Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce, and the Municipal Consumers Association, began 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.บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/
“The things we eat nowadays are too worrisome.”บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/
The citizen observation group consisted 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 a kindergarten, while others were self-employed. Their common concern was that many foods nowadays make people uneasy about eating them.บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/
“The food issues have brought me a very serious sense of crisis. Milk, steamed buns, pork... these daily necessities for ordinary people are either contaminated with melamine or contain whitening agents. Even noodles can be used as matches. I really want to see how the things I eat are actually produced.” Observer Hu Min's remarks were highly representative.บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/
“Exactly! My mom says the milk I used to drink can't be drunk anymore. She keeps saying there are additives in it. Why do they add additives? What are additives?” Five-year-old Xiao Jingtian was very interested in additives.บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/
Observer Cheng Yongli said: “I never eat sesame paste from hot pot restaurants. I heard from friends that the sesame paste is made from bad sesame seeds, rotten peanuts, and even crushed instant noodle bits. And sesame oil—some of it is just blended oil mixed with ‘one-drop fragrance.” It's really too difficult to eat anything pure nowadays."บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/
Liangyuan Group, which voluntarily signed up this time to accept 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 agricultural product circulation enterprise and was a key enterprise undertaking Shanxi Province's “Reassuring Grain and Oil Project” in 2009.บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/
“The food here is reassuring.”บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/
At around 9 a.m., the observation group 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.บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/
In the steamed bun processing workshop, the aroma of steamed buns greeted them. The steamed buns here were different from those commonly seen by citizens—not so bright white, with a somewhat yellowish color. After breaking open a 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 by 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. Those bright white steamed buns nowadays just don't have any fragrance."บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/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 group 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.บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/
“Not bad, not bad. With such a transparent production process, everyone can eat with confidence.” Observer Li Fuguang introduced to his daughter how steamed buns were made while touring.บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/
In the stone-milled rice processing area, a stone mill turned at a leisurely pace, and pale yellow paddy grains had their husks removed under the pressure of the stone mill. The low-speed operation of the stone mill kept the rice at a low temperature, preserving more nutrients in the processed rice. After listening to the workshop staff's introduction, observation group member Hu Min grabbed a small handful of rice from under the stone mill, then grabbed another handful from the packaging workshop, and carefully compared them in the sunlight, checking for differences and asking whether these rice grains were the same product.บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/
Afterwards, the observers also tasted organic tomatoes, cucumbers, and free-range eggs at the organic agricultural product development center. “This kind of food—I can eat it with confidence. Even if the price is slightly 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.บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/
“Food enterprises must have a conscience.”บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/
After touring the food production workshops, the members of the citizen observation group were not satisfied with merely seeing everything. They were more concerned about whether the sources of these products were reassuring. At a symposium with the enterprise's person in charge, observation group members actively asked questions, one after another.บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/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, with the good and the bad mixed together. Food labeled as organic doubles in price. How can consumers distinguish the genuine from the fake?”บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/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 truly organic food. If an enterprise does not have its own production base, then it is difficult to guarantee that its products are organic food. Whether organic food on the market is genuine or fake depends on 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.บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/
Ma Wenbin asked again: “Organic vegetables are good, but the price is on the high side. Not all citizens can afford them. Has the enterprise considered reducing the retail price through farmer-supermarket direct purchasing?”บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/
Liang Yuejin answered: “Our enterprise is currently in negotiations with Meet All, planning to enter its 48 chain stores for exclusive sales. As long as the scale increases, the retail price will come down.”บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/
Citizen Wu Jun asked: “How do you guarantee that raw materials are reassuring? Have farmers and the enterprise signed agreements?”บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/
“We purchase vegetables and grain grown by farmers at high prices. There are dedicated personnel monitoring, and a three-level guarantee ensures that farmers strictly follow organic vegetable crop standards for cultivation.”บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/
Citizen Hu Min asked: “Are chemical fertilizers also used on vegetables in greenhouses?”บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/
“Organic vegetables also use fertilizer. The fertilizer is biological organic fertilizer, produced through cooperation between the enterprise and universities such as Shanxi Agricultural University and Shanxi University.”บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/
He Bingyuan asked: “Reassuring, nutritious food is better than good medicine. When ordinary people buy reassuring and healthy food, it is equivalent to saving money on medicine and health supplements. For this kind of good food, can the enterprise increase its supply?”บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/
“Organic food requires a production base first before production can begin, but currently the bases are limited. In the future, the enterprise will gradually expand production scale according to market demand.”บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/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?”บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/
“Consumers being able to 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."บทความมาจากFOFCC-http://fofcc.org.cn/th/11298/