Officials in Guangzhou are taking the unprecedented step of
setting up a regional recall system for tainted food in an effort
to overcome the lack of a national mechanism to ensure food
safety.
"The problem of unsafe foodstuffs has been so worrisome to local
people. The draft rules for the new food-recall system in Guangdong
is just in time. They will help ensure food safety within the
province, " Zhang Junxiu, president of the Guangdong Food Industry Association, told
China Daily over the phone.
Indeed, the past month has been a turbulent one for food safety
in China.
First, industrial dye appeared in red-yolk duck eggs from North
China's Hebei Province and East China's Zhejiang Province. Then turbot fish from East
China's Shandong Province were found to contain
poisonous chemicals.
And late last week, mandarin fish and daces from South China's
Guangdong Province that had been shipped to Hong Kong were found to
contain high levels of malachite green, a carcinogenic
chemical.
The Guangdong Provincial People's Congress was reviewing a draft
of the province's new regulations yesterday. Once the regulations
take effect, they will be China's first regional system for
recalling unsafe food. Zhang said the move would make up for the
gap in national food safety regulations.
According to the draft regulations, relevant administrative
authorities will urge food suppliers to recall any unsafe food
products. The regulations will also prohibit any contaminated foods
from being sold after being recalled.
Different authorities will be responsible for different parts of
the recall system to ensure that supervision and execution are
efficient.
While the regulations call on food suppliers, wholesalers and
retailers to set up production and circulation archives, they also
forbid any food safety supervision, examination or testing agencies
from being involved in the production and sale of food. The draft
regulations also spell out early warning and preventative
mechanisms to handle food safety crises.
There will be a period of public comment before the draft
becomes effective. Some residents of the province do not want to
wait that long.
"I hope the regulations will become effective immediately," said
Wu Xiaopei, a housewife in Guangzhou. "With so many unsafe foods,
from eggs to fish, I really wonder whether there are any safe foods
in the market. I have been absolutely puzzled over what to cook for
my family," she added.
The mandarin fish scare has already hurt vendors in Guangzhou's
markets. "Though no malachite green has been found in the 30-odd
fresh-water fish sampled for testing in Guangzhou, sales of the
fish have nosedived in the past couple of days," said Chen Zhiyong,
director of Guangzhou Huangsha Seafood Market, the city's largest
aquatic food market.
Even after cutting the prices of mandarin fish and daces by
almost half, few people have been willing to buy the delicate fish,
he said.
(China Daily November 29, 2006)