Exams cannot guarantee food safety

The quality inspection authority in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, organizes a compulsory examination on food safety laws and regulations for legal representatives, production directors and quality inspectors of local food production enterprises.

This examination has been held about 40 times since May, and more than 1,100 people from nearly 400 enterprises have taken part in it.

The city quality watchdog stipulates that if examination takers fail the test twice, their enterprises will not get production permits.

It is a good idea to require people who are in charge of enterprises to review the laws and regulations.

Yet, according to Chinese laws, the city quality inspection department does not have the legal right to prevent enterprises from obtaining production permits through its examination process.

More importantly, holding such examinations will not necessarily strengthen quality control.

Even if the workshop directors pass the test, there may still be problems with the food produced in their workshops.

The responsibility of the quality watchdog is not to organize the examination, but to improve the efficiency of quality inspections for products and to strictly enforce relevant laws and the accountability system for responsible people.

Translated from Beijing News Daily