In recent years, food safety has become one of the most prominent issues concerning both the Chinese Government and ordinary people. More and more people now worry about the safety of foodstuffs, after a series of accidents and fatalities brought about by substandard and poisonous foodstuffs swept across the country in quick succession.

A survey conducted in Guangzhou, a coastal city in southern China, showed that more than 70 percent of citizens are disturbed by the reports of substandard foodstuffs.

At a press conference sponsored by the Information Office of the State Council, Zheng Xiaoyu, Director of the State Food and Drug Administration, confessed that he worries a bit about what he is eating. He was neither joking nor being an alarmist.

Chain Reaction

Fuyang City in Anhui Province experienced China’s most serious incident caused by substandard food this year. From April 14 to May 16, some 12 infants died of malnutrition after being fed fake milk powder, which contained little nutritional value, and other 229 babies (under one year old) were diagnosed with malnutrition.

Zheng, who headed the investigation group of the substandard milk powder tragedy, disclosed that the case involves more than 40 milk powder producers in 10 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. Some of the producers do not even use their own names and addresses, but illegally used that of others. Surprisingly, some legal enterprises that have business licenses are also involved in the production of substandard milk powder.

According to Zheng, more than 100,000 packages of milk powder were seized and 39 cases involving the sale of substandard milk powder were dealt with. During this time, 47 people were detained, 31 arrested and 203 were summoned for interrogation.

“When I went to Fuyang to investigate the case, I did not expect it to be so serious that it would involve some legal enterprises,” Zheng said. Learning that the producers of substandard milk powder are widely scattered throughout the country, the government issued an order to concerned departments, urging them to launch thorough investigations on milk powder. Shortly after that, inferior quality milk powder was found in Shandong, Sichuan and Guangdong provinces.

As if to prove the old Chinese saying that “misfortune never comes singly,’’ while the offenders in the fatal milk powder case were being rounded up, an incident of “poisonous” alcohol erupted in Guangzhou. By May 18, nine people died and 50 were hospitalized after drinking fake spirits. Those hospitalized experienced symptoms of vomiting, cramping in legs and arms, and partial loss of sight.

Today there are still 27 victims of poisonous spirits hospitalized at the Guangzhou No.12 People’s Hospital. Though their condition is now stable, of the 18 people with weakened sight, eight are facing the danger of losing their sight completely.

Among the 12 blood samples drawn from the patients poisoned by fake spirits, nine surpassed the normal level of methyl alcohol. The most serious case was one showing an alcohol intake level of 550 times that of the normal, said Wu Yuluan, senior engineer with the Guangzhou Products Quality Inspection Institute.

By May 22, some 22 suspected perpetrators had been detained. Of them, 10 were formally arrested for producing and selling poisoned alcohol. Currently, investigation is going deeper.

Urban and Rural Areas Affected

Over the past years, the Chinese Government has pooled its efforts to crack down on poor quality and fake products, making tangible achievements in this regard. But in rural areas and city outskirts it was difficult to carry out foodstuff inspections. To get away from inspections, counterfeiters moved their production bases from cities to these areas.

Zheng said that the substandard milk powder was not just found this year. As early as February last year, Fuyang locals complained about the problem to the authorities, and the media reported on the problem. But due to institutional loopholes and ineffective supervision by the local government, as well as the underdeveloped economy in the locality, the shoddy milk powder continued to sell well in Fuyang. Victims are either farmers or migrant workers—all low-income earners.

In their efforts to crack down on fake and inferior products, related departments often focus on large cities, and commercial centers in particular, but neglect rural and suburban areas, where purchasing power is relatively weak. The reason is that the former is the main source of revenue, but it is the cheap but substandard foodstuffs sold in outlying areas that are threatening the health, and even the lives, of the disadvantaged.

Food Security System

Previously, only those who made and sold substandard milk powder were punished. Current extensive investigation also includes packing sections and departments in charge of quality supervision and management. The government has vowed to mete out severe punishment to counterfeiters and officials who committed a dereliction of duty.

Zheng said, “We are under heavy pressure, but I have all confidence that we can improve the current adverse situation and guarantee food security, to a large degree, through the coordinated efforts of related departments.”

Over the past years, China has given priority to foodstuff and medicine safety, particularly to foodstuffs this year. Nationwide inspections on food quality have been called for to curb the spread of inferior foodstuffs. Past experience, however, shows that such practice is rarely effective, as counterfeiters played hide-and-seek with inspectors. The cases of substandard foodstuffs reflect the urgency in setting up a long-term mechanism that can guarantee food safety effectively.

The ongoing nationwide food inspection is testimony to the government's commitment to establishing a long-term mechanism to guarantee the safety of food.

(Beijing Weekend  June 21, 2004)