WHO urges Beijing to establish code of ethics on food safety
WHO officials have urged China and the rest of Asia to implement more effective measures to improve food safety, after a scandal involving substandard infant formula on the mainland earlier this year left at least 12 babies dead.
'China should build up its national food-control system, with basic elements like laws, inspections and an understanding of contamination levels,' Tony Hazzard, a food-safety adviser to the World Health Organisation's Western Pacific regional office, said on the sidelines of a meeting in Shanghai.
WHO Western Pacific director Shigeru Omi urged countries to share information, allowing the food industry, regulators and consumers to work together. Dr Omi also appealed for more attention towards animal health, saying the WHO was becoming increasingly concerned about bird flu.
Public attention has been focused on food safety on the mainland in recent months, with a number of official media reports exposing problems in products ranging from milk powder to rice dumplings, soy sauce and moon cakes.
WHO food safety expert Gerald Moy said the central government should play the role of a goal-keeper to keep fake or low-quality food products from entering the market by setting standards and a code of ethics for the industry.
'After China's efforts to feed its large population with food, the next phase for China now is to provide safer food for its people,' Dr Moy said.
He added rapid economic growth had left the mainland with serious environmental problems and more food-borne diseases.
Still, experts praised China's efforts to date. In the wake of the Anhui baby milk scandal, authorities have punished the local officials responsible and moved to crack down on sub-standard food products. 'China is taking the right steps forward,' Mr Hazzard said.
Beijing has also created a new State Food and Drug Administration to co-ordinate and take responsibility for food safety.
Hong Kong's director of health, Lam Ping-yan, played down concerns over contaminated mainland food entering the city, saying a strong surveillance system and a series of checks would ensure food safety.
'We keep track of all imported food, including poultry from the mainland, and we try to make sure food is safe through the whole chain,' Dr Lam said. 'We even send officials to mainland farms to carry out inspections before importing.'
