ADB urges Beijing to draft food safety law and set up watchdog
Beijing should draft a sound law on food safety and establish an agency tasked with overseeing it to curb rampant food problems on the mainland, an Asian Development Bank (ADB) report shows.
The new law should govern safety in all stages of the food supply chain, from production to the end user, and include not only safety standards but also articles fulfilling international agreements such as the World Health Organisation's international health regulations, the report said.
Food-related diseases affected 300 million people every year and cost 36 billion to 168 billion yuan in medical expenses and lost productivity, the bank estimated.
Food security now falls under the ambit of 17 government agencies while a new food safety law is being drafted.
'We understand there are many discussions on the new law and it's getting more and more detailed. Instead, our idea is to make a basic food law that provides a simple, basic - but sound and flexible - legal framework first. You can add a secondary regulation later,' said Chris Spohr, a social sector economist with the bank.
The law should ensure that the manufacturer or operator of each business link had a clear responsibility in food safety and ensure the source of the product could be traced and it could be recalled quickly, the report said.
Dr Spohr said that even under the present regulations, the situation could be better controlled if a single agency took full responsibility, or if co-ordination between various agencies was better.
'A classic example is in 2004 when different agencies gave different safety standards for the residue of the cancer-causing chemical Sudan Red in food. The message was mixed and confusing.' The proposed agency would not only be responsible for strengthening food safety inspection, but also for drafting all relevant laws, regulation and industry standards, the report said.
The State Council put forward similar proposals in 2003 and 2004, but they did not get off the ground because the administration was not given sufficient resources, Dr Spohr said.
