Major Food Safety Issues in China-Junshi CHEN

transcript

Junshi Chen

China National Centre for Food Safety Risk Assessment

The major food safety issues in China

Outlines

Situation and problems

New regulatory progress

Challenges

FOOD SCARE in - Chinese consumers

“I do not want foods with any pesticides and

GMO foods”

“ Artificial colors? Preservatives?

Bleaching agents? Sudan red?”

FOOD SCARE in – Western consumers

“How can you survive in China？

No food in China is safe !”

Source: Ted Alcorn , Yadan Ouyang. China's invisible burden of foodborne illness. The Lancet, 2012, Vol 379(9818): p 789 -790.

Beyond public health

“Food safety in China is far beyond a mere public health issue”. “Food safety is a social issue and affects social stability.”

says Junshi Chen

Food safety situation in China – general assessment

The overall situation in China is good and continuously improving along with the rapid development of national economy;

But, many food safety issues occur from time to time, and some of them are quite outstanding, e.g. melamine, clenbutanol.

Food adulteration or food fraud has are common, although only a few cases affect consumer health.

The fundamental causes of food safety problems in China:

Too many small farms and producers: 100 million farmers and 0.5 million producers;

Lack of standardized production;

Food producers and vendors: poor credibility;

Fragmentation in national food control system.

Outlines

Challenges

National Food Safety Control System in China

Note: MOA – Ministry of Agriculture; CFDA – Food and Drug General Administration; Office – Standing Office of the Food Safety Committee, State Council; NHFPC – Health and Family Planning Commission

State Food Safety Council Coordination

MOA Primary Ag Product

Control, incl. Pesticide &

Veterinary Drug Residues

CFDA Manufacture,

Distribution and Restaurant

Control

MOH* Risk Assessment,

Surveillance, Standard,

Premarket Approval

AQSIQ Export & Import, Food Control &

Packaging Materials Control

Secretariat of the Council

Mandates of related government agencies

MoA – primary agriculture products, crops and livestocks

CFDA + Food Safety Office – policy, strategy, inspection (other than primary agriculture products), rapid alert, information release, etc.

NHFPC – risk surveillance, risk assessment, standard development/revision and promulgation.

AQSIQ – food import and export control.

Features of the new system National Food and Drug administration

(CFDA ) becomes the leading agency;

The combination of CFDA and the Office of the Food Safety Committee, State Council;

Remains opportunity for further reform.

Achievements (1)

Covered all 31 provinces, 2,142 sites, 20 food categories (500+food products), 295,000 food samples, 147 parameters, >3 million data points.

Emergent surveillance program – e.g. phthalates. Pilot active surveillance on prevalence of food

borne diseases – 6 provinces, 10 million population, 1 case in every 6 adult subjects (> 200 million cases).

National surveillance system (2013)

Achievements (2)

December, 2009 - 1st National Expert Committee for Food Safety Risk Assessment established, with 42 members;

October, 2011 – National Centre for Food Safety Risk Assessment inaugurated.

National risk assessment system

Dietary intake of iodine and iodine status of Chinese people (2010), completed

Dietary exposure of cadmium (2010), completed Dietary exposure of aluminum (2010), completed Dietary exposure of lead (2011), completed Dietary exposure of trans fat (2011), completed Quantitative health risk assessment of Salmonella in

chicken (2011), completed Quantitative health risk assessment of Campylobacter

jejuni in chicken (2011) Dietary exposure of phthalates in foods (2012), more ……

Selected planned and on-going prioritized projects

New National Food Safety Standard Review Committee established in January, 2010, with 10 sub-committees.

Up to March 2014, 411 new standards were promulgated, including: 68 dairy standards-12 dairy products, 5 special dietary

foods including infant formula, 2 practice about dairy products and infant formula, 39 physical and chemical testing methods, 10 microbiological methods

12(12 9) horizontal standards – food additives, nutrient fortificants, contaminants, mycotoxins, pesticide residues (4 1), pathogenic bacteria, labeling of prepackaged foods, nutrition labeling, labelling of special dietary prepackaged food.

New food safety standard system Achievements (3)

6 food products – honey, distilled liquor, fermented wine, frozen flour and rice products, iodine content in edible salt, special medical use formula.

5 food related product standards-stainless steel product, disinfectant, organic silicon anti-sticking coatings, water-based modified epoxy resin coating inside cans, lining of epoxy polyamide resin coating.

General Hygiene Practice for Food Manufacturing, Code of Practice for Food for Special Medical Use.

44 testing methods-35 physical and chemical testing methods, 9 microbiological methods.

274 specifications for food additive products and nutrient fortificants.

Horizontal standards to be promulgated , Food additive labeling, General hygienic practice for food marketing, Residue of veterinary drug.

Review and consolidation of > 3000 additives for food packaging materials completed.

Reviewed and clean-up about 5000 standards in 2013 and will be complete integration in 2015, in order to solve the inconsistency and overlap problem.

Control of adding illegal chemicals in food manufacturing process，

Control of abuse use of food additives, Control the use of clenbutanol in pig feeds, Smash gutter oil production chain, Control of imported foods.

Achievements (4)

Strengthen control and inspection

Outlines

Challenges

However, consumers feel food safety situation is getting worse, Why?

High expectation for “zero risk” or absolute safety; Perception: adulterated = UNSAFE; Strong advocacy on consumer right protection; More problems uncovered by stronger control and

inspection of government than before; Media: misleading, exaggerating, instead of fact-

based report. Must take into account together !

Science vs. Consumer Perceptions

SCIENTIST

EXPERT

knows thinks

CONSUMER

PUBLIC

feels believes

Fact-based: hazard, probability

Value-based: consequences, value

Source: Patrick Wall, International Food Safety Forum, Beijing, 2011

Risk Communication

RC is the weakest part in the risk analysis framework in China

Consumer anxieties are fueled by false alarm with no scientific evidences;

Substantial gap between facts and consumer perception;

Lack of specialized RC institute, experienced researchers/practitioners and adequate funding;

Lack of independent NGO platform to conduct RC in timely manner.

Main challenges for RC in China Scientific messages cannot get people’s

attention; Misleading information/media reports are

overwhelming and spreading rapidly; Consumer distrust in government’s

competence to manage food safety; Negative impact on solving food safety problems.

Summary Food safety problem is a global issue, not just for

China; Chinese government has made significant

progress in the control of food safety. However, the consumers still believe that the food safety situation in China is getting worse.

Risk Communication is the weakest component in the risk analysis framework in China.

All stakeholders need to actively participate in risk communication.