Study On The Chinese Government Regulation Of Food Safety

Food is material basis of human survival and development, it has a great relevance for people's fitness and life security. With the growing economic power of China since its reform and opening up, people have increasing demands for living quality. Meanwhile, public focus on food safety has shifted from quantity to quality.In recent years, many cases have been known of food-safety accidents. The toxic baby milk scandal of Sanlu in 2008, in particular, makes food safety the focus of public debate. The various problems in food safety, to some extent, cause a crisis of consumers'trust in the marketplace, which exerts a great impact on national economy and people's livelihood, and threats government's credibility as well. Therefore, the improvement of food safety is of great significance by government regulation, combined with scientific research and technology.This author taking government regulation of food safety as subject,Public Administration as perspective, using literature analysis and case study method as research methods, taking the theory of market failure and public goods theory to clarify government regulation of food safety's necessity. Based on the typical case of Sanlu scandal, the author analyzes the present situation of food safety regulation in China in terms of regulation subject, regulation system, regulation technology and regulation environment, which reflect the problems in food safety regulation. Last but not least, based on the lesson from Sanlu scandal, the author proposes effective measures to improve government regulation of food safety in China. Focusing on the profit appeal of all parties involved in food safety, the government should further clarify the responsibility of the regulators, establish and perfect the information and monitoring system of food safety, and build up a safe food market.