Public plays watchdog role in food safety

A 7-year-old girl became sick last week in Dongcheng district after eating a sausage embedded with some black solid matter. Her family claims the girl both vomited and suffered a fever. Fortunately, she recovered quickly with no long-term health problems. The food company responsible for the tainted sausage, Jinluo Meat Products Manufacturing Group, responded by offering meager compensation and asking the girl's father to remain silent on the issue.

Between maggots, fingernails and plastic materials appearing in sausages, it's no wonder the public is worried about what they eat.

China isn't the only country dealing with food contamination issues. This week in the US, nearly 300,000 cans of products with sliced apples were recalled amid fears of possible listeria contamination. Needless to say, food safety is an ongoing issue throughout the world and hardly unique to China.

The fact massed-produced food can be more dangerous doesn't absolve companies of their responsibility to produce safe, non-contaminated food. Food companies need to carry out rigorous safety inspections of their food, as well as be accountable to both the government and public when problems arise.　

The girl's father, surnamed Hu, showed an impressive amount of poise in his reaction to the situation. In response to being offered compensation by Jinluo, Hu told the Beijing Times that he "didn't care" about compensation and just wanted the company "to take responsibility."

Hu could have been like many other victims of food scandals and quietly accepted hush money. However, had he followed that path the company wouldn't have had pressure from the public to amend its practices. Because of Hu's willingness to go public, Jinluo must confront its production process in an open, transparent way.

This story has effectively raised awareness of problems in the food industry, but there are still many methods for improving accountability in the sector.

Firstly, the public must be educated on how to report food contamination issues. I've found that most people don't know which agency to contact when they encounter food scandals. By increasing reportage to the correct agency, the government will be able to hold companies more accountable and regulate the industry more effectively.

Secondly, hefty fines should be levied against companies that fail to meet safety standards. These fines should by large enough to deter companies from flaunting regulations.

Finally, people should feel comfortable contacting the media when the problem is serious enough to warrant media attention. Nothing is more effective in changing the way a company operates than bad press. Companies follow trends in the market; if there's anger at their food standards, they will change.

Considering that food is essential to our survival, it needs to be as safe as possible. These recent events have demonstrated that there's much room for improvement in Jinluo's food safety standards. Nonetheless, this experience can and should be a catalyst for change and growth in Beijing's food industry.