A food trading exposition in Shanghai. Sales of China's food industry amounted to 78 trillion yuan ($12.36 trillion) in 2011 from 4.73 billion in 1978, with average annual growth at 31.6 percent. Sheng Jingwei / For China Daily

Ecolab unites groups to check on standards of what we eat

From extra lean meat powder to swill-cooked dirty oil; from industrial gelatin used as food coagulant to dairy products containing aflatoxin - a substance that can cause severe liver damage - the Chinese are scared and asking what food they can eat safely and healthily.

"The problems can be solved only by the joint effort of various parties, including the government, businesses, industry associations and experts as well as the public," said Sam Hsu, senior vice-president of Ecolab Inc and general manager of Ecolab Greater China.

"That's the reason our company cooperated with some partners to set up the Seven-star Convention Alliance, a voluntary organization aiming to promote knowledge of food safety, increase corporate self-discipline, share experiences within the industry and reward companies with long-term good performances," he said.

Ecolab joined hands with China Business News Group, scientific institutions such as the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology and a group of companies including China Huiyuan Juice Group Ltd and Shanghai Xiao Nan Guo, a famous Chinese restaurant chain, to set up the alliance.

Seven stars refers to seven principles that will guarantee food safety. They are high sensitivity toward public health, well-organized internal management mechanisms, good and reliable raw material supplies, strict production supervision, staff self-discipline, control on upstream and downstream companies, as well as corporate credibility and responsibility.

Sales of China's food industry amounted to 78 trillion yuan ($12.36 trillion) in 2011 from 4.73 billion yuan in 1978, with average annual growth at 31.6 percent, according to the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology.

Despite this robust growth, challenges have arisen - with food safety and health at the top.

Hu Xiaosong, vice-president of CIFST, attributed the increasingly frequent scandals to strengthened government supervision on food safety, consumers' ever-increasing awareness and knowledge of food issues and a more transparent information environment.

According to Ecolab's Hsu, food scandals in China are caused by four things - below-standard products, poor knowledge of products, poor corporate management of food quality and deliberate cheating with an eye on higher profits.

"Operators should be socially responsible. They must have enough professional knowledge and management skills to operate their business and, most importantly, maintain their integrity," said Hsu.

Sanitation supply company Ecolab is the key initiator of the alliance, which pledged to make full use of its experience and professional know-how regarding food safety consulting and risk management to coordinate multiple sides of the food industry and help companies control and manage related risks.

China's food industry is highly competitive, with 97 percent of operators being private enterprises and multinational companies, according to statistics from CIFST.

"A food safety scandal will tarnish the reputation of a company and may lead to the collapse of the brand," said Su Menghe, CIFST president. "In addition to enhancing government supervision, self-discipline should be a top task that any responsible company must consistently and continuously insist upon if it is to survive and stand out amid the fierce competition."

Zhao Jinlin, secretary of Huiyuan, said that quality control should be consistent and strict and operators should impose rules for every employee to follow.

Huiyuan's campus is nearly 140 hectares. To guarantee the quality of its products, it operates a total smoking ban.

"We have clearly established that non-smoking on the campus is a basic requirement of working at Huiyuan. Zero tolerance. People can choose to stay here or go to another company," said Jin. "Some new employees found it difficult not smoking for eight hours at the beginning but, after a period of time, they became accustomed to the rule and obey it subconsciously.

"Food safety is a very serious problem closely linked with people's lives and health. At the same time, there is no need to panic," he said, explaining that there are differences between unsafe food and unhealthy food: The first harms people and the latter is not as healthy as the producers promise.

"Dairy products containing aflatoxin are a safety problem, while cheap powder and seasoning for noodle soup are a credibility issue. Although both of them should be punished, their nature is totally different," said Hu. "For food safety problems, criminal law can be applied. For corporate credibility scandals, serious, I mean serious, financial punishment is needed."

Feng Sumei, a 45-year-old Beijinger, said she is worried about the safety of food, having read about so many scandals over the years. "What I am concerned about most is the food that may be dangerous but has not yet been found out to be," she said, urging more critical punishment for food safety violators and greater dissemination of knowledge.

In addition to promoting food safety knowledge, sharing experiences and increasing self-discipline, the alliance will also reward outstanding companies every year. In the meantime, it said it is open to all companies and institutions that are willing to contribute to food safety and help realize the coordinated development of the nation's food industry.

liujie@chinadaily.com.cn