A Profile of Chen Junshi
Chen Junshi, academician of CAE, expert in nutrition and food safety
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.
Edited
By : Wang Yi
Translated By : Xiao Yanli
Source : www.beijingforum.org Top of page Beijing promises greater efforts to ensure food safety (07/24/07) The Beijing food safety authority www.china-embassy.org The Beijing food safety authority has pledged to make
greater efforts in inspecting catering businesses and food processing
facilities across the city to ensure food safety. Breakfast stands will be one of
the key areas that will be scrutinized and those stands that fail to meet
hygienic and quality control standards will be closed down, said a spokesman
with the Beijing Food Safety Office.
Wang Xiaojing, an
official in charge of publicity with the municipal department for industry and
commerce, said her department had listed catering ventures and breakfast stands
as industries posing high risks to food safety and would increase daily
inspections.
The city's law
enforcement departments have concentrated efforts in clamping down on caterers
operating without permits.
The municipal
department of commerce plans to select a group of "role model"
enterprises to help the entire catering trade to improve the level of its management.
There are now more
than 45,900 catering businesses, including hotels, restaurants and franchises,
in Beijing.
In the first six
months of the year, the municipal hygienic department carried out a specialized
sanitation inspection of more than 10,000 eating outlets and a group of small
and medium-sized enterprises were fined more than 4 million yuan. Top of page
Market Selling Expired
Wal-Mart Food In Beijing
October 29, 2007
According to
Sina.com, a supermarket in Xiba Village
of Beijing's Chaoyang District is selling expired food with Wal-Mart tags.
A staff
representative from the Chinese market says in the report that it has been
selling expired food, including yogurt, meat and vegetables, for more than two
years. Since the price is cheaper than at Wal-Mart, it has reportedly done good
business.
Chinese media
reports that the expired food that the supermarket sells comes from Wal-Mart
Zhichun Road Store, but Huang Li, a representative from Wal-Mart's public
relations department in China, says that Wal-Mart's store at Zhichun Road has
signed with and consigned a company called Beijing Chunqiu Storage and Transportation Company to destroy its
expired food. Therefore they say they have never hear of their expired goods
being sold by other supermarkets.
Huang says
that as a global company, Wal-Mart has attached great importance to the
disposal of its expired food and they have never allowed their expired food to
flow into other markets. Huang says if it proves to be the cooperating company
that has given the goods to the illegal supermarket, they will severely punish
the company, and they will set up a special team to investigate.
http://www.chinacsr.com/2007/10/29/1800-market-selling-expired-wal-mart-food-in-beijing
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