Chinese vice premier vows harshest penalties for food safety
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A man walks out of the entrance of Husi Food factory in Shanghai July 23, 2014. [Photo/Agencies] |
Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang on Sept 26 pledged further reforms in food and drug safety administration as well as "harshest penalties" for relevant violations.
Wang made the remarks during an inspection tour in Beijing.
He visited the city's food safety monitoring center and talked with grassroots law enforcers of local food and drug safety administrative authorities.
Authorities' responsibility of administration and supervision should be concretely implemented, Wang said.
The strictest supervision should be carried out to create a fair market environment, the harshest penalties should be used to deter violations, and the most serious accountability system should be established to punish those who fail to perform their duties, the vice premier said.
Top 9 global brands caught in China's food safety scandals
With China witnessing an ever-increasing appetite for global food brands, helped by the consumers trust in their quality and time-honored reputation, the recent scandals involving some of the biggest names have left many consumers with lost appetite.
Frustrated by food safety scandals over the past few years, many Chinese consumers opted for Western food suppliers in search of reliable and delicious alternatives, only to find the same problem over and over again.
More than 60 percent of the respondents to a survey conducted earlier this year by 51 Report, a comprehensive online service provider for industry research and analysis, said that they preferred Chinese fast food because it was healthier and of better quality despite the large-scale promotion done by Western fast food giants.
Legal experts and industry insiders are calling for more stringent legislation on food safety as this issue has spread across the country and tested consumers' confidence and patience.
Will the food safety issue ever be contained and are Chinese consumers losing faith in the imported food quality on their table? Let's take a look at the round up of the food scandals that have ensnared global brands in recent years in China.
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