Health and safety remain top of the menu for food firms

Some of China's top food enterprises and restaurants have been praised for making steady progress in the quality of their health and safety standards, supply chain management and contributions to corporate social responsibilities, according to the organizers of an annual industry award scheme.

The Shanghai Min restaurant and probiotic beverage producer Yakult (China) Marketing Co Ltd won the Award for Outstanding Contribution in Food Safety and Public Health for five consecutive years.

The accolade is one of the most coveted in the Chinese food sector, at the event organized by Ecolab Inc and CBNweekly.

"Over the past five to 10 years, food safety equipment and systems have seen a significant increase in quality," said Wang Tie, president of greater China at Ecolab Inc, one of the co-founders of the awards.

"Company leaders have also been attaching greater importance to the subject, ensuring food safety has become part of the corporate culture of many enterprises.

"China's current standards of food safety should be no worse than some developed countries."

Xibei restaurant, a famous northwestern Chinese restaurant chain, was also listed as one of the food enterprises with outstanding safety qualities.

Founded in 1988 in Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Xibei has more than 130 outlets in more than 20 Chinese cities.

In the next decade the restaurant chain aims to own about 1,000 branches in 100 cities, and that target will be based on strict food-safety standards, said Jia Guohui, its general manager.

Since 2014, she said the company has started to transform its business model, and now its kitchens are visible to the public through transparent windows, so customers can watch their dishes being cooked.

Xibei also lowered the number of its dishes from 200 to just more than 40, which helps it with better food safety and supply chain management, Jia said.

Bright Dairy & Food Co, China's leading milk producer, meanwhile, also showed its strong food safety credentials after being listed as one of the Chinese food enterprises with excellent quality.

The Shanghai-listed company achieved revenues of 10 billion yuan ($1.55 billion) in the first half of 2015, up 2 percent year-on-year, showing strong performances despite slowing growth in the milk sector.

Bright officials said food safety remains its most important concern.

It applies international safety standards throughout its entire industry chain, to ensure the safety of its products, they said.

The awards also revealed that many of China's best-known food companies already claim to have achieved sustainable growth while operating with credibility and integrity.

Companies highlighted for this include Chinese manufacturer of non-alcoholic beverage producer JDB Group, mineral water and beverage producer China Resources C'estbon Beverage (China) Co Ltd, and Chinese snack food company Want Want Group.

zhuwenqian@chinadaily.com.cn