In 1968, he graduated from Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences as a postgraduate. He now works as a researcher with Nutrition and Food Safety Institute, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Chen Junshi is one of the founders of food toxicology in China. In 1984, he won Schwartz International Award. From 1983 to 1993, in collaboration with Cornell University and Oxford University, he began to study “the Relationships among Chinese Diet, Life Style and Disease Death Rate”, which won the first-class Award of Technological Advancement granted by Ministry of Health. From 1990 to 2000, he had for three times conducted Chinese Total Diet Study (TDS) and was granted the title of the model researcher in the field of TDS in developing countries by WHO. Since 2001, he has been the team leader of the expert panel of Major Control Technology of Food Safety with the National Program for Key Science and Technology Projects.

Throughout the first half of this year, the western media has filed lengthy negative reports of the food safety in China. They even make a connection between food safety and political issues, which has a terrible impact on the export of Chinese food and also on national reputation. China always attaches much importance to food safety and the eligible rate of exported food in China is also higher than 99%. Facing imminent Olympic food safety guarantee, the Chinese government adopts pro-active measures. What is the current situation of China’s food safety? How to deal with related coverage of food safety issues? With these questions in mind, Science Times conducted an interview with Chen Junshi, renowned expert in nutrition and food safety, and academician of CAE.

The Overall Picture of Chinese Food Safety Is Satisfactory

Science Times: What’s your comment on the current situation of food safety in China?

Chen Junshi: The issue of food safety is a huge matter concerning people’s health and a nation’s development. China has basically solved the problem of food security. Nowadays, food safety has been drawing more and more attention. The Central Government of the Communist Party, the State Council and all local governments of different levels have laid much stress on food safety for years. In recent years, series of actions have been taken to guarantee food safety and quality and some positive results have been achieved. In general, the situation of food safety in China is satisfactory, and is getting better year by year.

However, as a developing country, China still has many problems with regards to food safety and is also confronted with many challenges concerning food safety guarantee. There still exist many insecure factors and potential food-borne danger. Currently, the main problem centers on food-borne disease caused by pathogenic microbes. One point needs mentioning here is that the public have not had clear realization about China’s food safety, which is made even worse by the media’s misleading and exaggeration about the food safety problems. As a result, the psychological burden on China’s food safety is increasing in intensity.

Science and Technology Promotes Food Safety Guarantee

Science Times: As head of the expert panel of “Major Control Technology of Food Safety” with the National Program for Key Science and Technology Projects, can you talk about the progress China has made in terms of technological guarantee of food safety?

Chen Junshi: The issue of food safety has become a key factor affecting the competitiveness of agriculture and food industry. It has also become one of the bottlenecks that restrict the strategic reconstruction of economic structures in rural areas. With this background, China set up major projects with respect to food technology for the first time during the Tenth Five-Year Plan.

When carrying out these projects, the research personnel kept abreast of the technological frontier of international food safety, focused on the key problems involved in the process of total control of China’s food safety, and eventually integrated it with domestic technological resources. In this way, they have made some achievements.

First and foremost, we should make breakthrough in terms of primary technology, such as the dominant supervision and appraisal technology, which has bearing on consumers’ health and the foreign trade. Through the collocation and optimization of inspection resources, we can enhance the study of food safety inspection system, inspection technology and appraisal system, thus building up our own inspection system conforming to China’s national situation and the international practice. Besides, as regards inspection technology, we should acquire a batch of reagents and equipment with our independent intellectual property rights.

Secondly, we should strengthen our research on the control technology of food safety and improve food safety quality. We should put forward some key guarantee measures in accordance with China’s current conditions, such as the implementation of Hazard Analysis and HACCP in the food industry in China. A preliminary system of safety evaluation and hazard control of food processing in China should be established.

Thirdly, we have carried out a comprehensive study of food standards, including the comparison of standards both in China and abroad, and have raised strategic suggestions on the revision of domestic food standard.

Fourthly, we have developed model regions led by local governments, combined with corporate participation, which include 9 characteristic models of food safety such as Shouguang vegetables in Shandong, Longjing Tea in Zhejiang and Beijing food transportation- distribution safety control, etc.

Science Times: What’s your comment on the gap between the technological research of food safety in China and internationally advanced countries and regions?

Chen Junshi: At present, the technological research of food safety in China is transforming from the model of “passive solution” to that of “pro-active guarantee”. The technological input in food safety is obviously insufficient. During the period of the Tenth Five-Year Plan, our study is still based on a preliminary stage; it is expected to be promoted in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan. We should focus on risk evaluation, supervision and inspection, source-tracing precaution and safety standard, and in the meantime boost cooperation with the international community concerning food safety. We should carry on the study of food safety strategy, lay stress on the construction of technological innovation platform and strengthen the supportive role which technology plays in food safety. Furthermore, we should catch up with the international advanced development of risk evaluation.

Olympic Food: be concerned with food source-tracing

Science Times: With the approaching of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Olympic food safety guarantee has meanwhile become a focal point. Can you give us some advice about food safety guarantee in 2008 Beijing Olympics?

Chen Junshi: We have exerted much effort on Olympic food safety guarantee. During the period of the Tenth Five-Year Plan, Beijing has built up model programs for food safety guarantee, which cover every aspect of food safety. Beijing Municipal Government regards food admission and source-tracing as the primary technological means of safety guarantee, and has set up strict admission passport for the selection of suppliers concerning Olympic food. Most of the current suppliers are also suppliers for previous Olympics.

Nowadays, some people stress overly the importance of inspection. As a matter of fact, inspection is not the dominant means of Olympic food safety guarantee, although it is an integral part. After all, safe food is not inspected, but produced. We should first guarantee the safety of raw materials. As not all raw materials come from Beijing, there is a large amount of work related to the source-tracing of raw materials. Our agricultural production mode will not be changed due to Olympics and all the food stuff in China will still be produced by 700 to 800 million farmers in a dispersive way throughout the country. Besides, as there are numerous food processing enterprises in China, inspection alone can not guarantee food safety. Therefore, we should take advantage of the opportunity of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and set up a whole set of bi-directional system concerning inspection, management and control technology of food safety, “from field to the dining table” and “from the dining table to the field”. We should take an active part in adjusting the production mix of agriculture, reform the traditional mode of dispersive production and build up a new food production model in which the government steers direction, corporations participate and research institutions provide technological support. In this way, Chinese food will conform to the standard and thus become safer and safer.

The issue of food safety is a global concern. It will coexist with the mankind and can not be eliminated in the foreseeable future. What matters is how to deal with it in a positive fashion.