| ObjectiveTo provide suggestions to the system of food safety supervision and management by literature analyses of the characteristics and trends of food safety incidents reported by the media in China, the historical evolution of domestic food safety supervision system, the comparison of domestic and abroad food safety system, as well as by individual interviewing and field investigating of the information of the progress and obstructions about the structural reform of food safety system on supervision and management.MethodsGeneral theory, system pattern and system construction of the food safety supervision and management were conducted by normative study including literature analysis and empirical analysis. Information of the food safety incidents covered by the media (mainly printed media, getaway websites) from 2004 to 2012 were collected and analyzed using descriptive epidemiologic study. Current situation and the information of systematic reform on food safety supervision and management were analyzed by empirical investigation. The in-depth interview of the key individuals was carried out by the judgment sampling, convenience sampling and snowball sampling.ResultsThe food safety incidents reported by the media were numbered 2489 in sum from Jan. 1 2004 to Dec.31 2012. Among them,16.5% from multi-regions, nearly 1/3 happened in North China, including 15.9%,11.3% and 6.7% respectively from Beijing, Guangdong and Shandong. The number of incidents reported by the media varied in calendar year, with the maximum of 723 in 2011. As for the related food groups, meat (containing livestock and poultry, fish and shrimp) and eggs, as well as snacks were top rated, with the proportion of 22.1% and 15.7%, respectively. Around 13.1% were about cereal, potato and mixed beans, milk/bean and their products, the other 10.7% and 9.2% were vegetables and fruits accounted, respectively. Nearly 2/3 of the incidents resulted from the problems happened during the production or processing stage,13.9% from the production of primary agricultural products. Sales and circulation, catering consumption accounted for 10.2% and 8%, respectively. As for the nature of the illegal food safety incidents,1/3 of the incidents were related to the management violation of food additives, and around 1/4 were failed to fit into the standards for the regulation of invasive organism, pesticides redidued, veterinary drug residues, and heavy metals.Food safety supervisors with bachelor degree accounted for 70.0% and 41.5% in Shanghai and Sichuan province, respectively. The proportion of supervisors with postgraduate degree in Shanghai was 18.7%, which was much higher than that in Sichuan province (1.4%). The percentage of supervisors who gained junior college or even below was 57.2% in Sichuan, while Shanghai was just 11.6%. The proportion of food safety supervisors who have worked less than 10 years in Shanghai accounted for 41.7%, higher than that in Sichuan (35.1%). The proportion of entire period of actual operation between 10 to 30 years was 50.1% and 57.5% in Shanghai and Sichuan, respectively. The percentage of supervisors who had worked more than 30 years was between 7.5% and 8.2% in the two place. Besides,85.0% and 80.2% regulators were district regulators in Sichuan and Gansu. The proportion of prefecture-level was 12.8% and 16.4% in Sichuan and Gansu, respectively. The proportion of provincial level was between 2.0% to 3.5%.The granted number of food related license was increased by years from 2010 to 2013, while the numbers of food production license decreased for years, which were 3820, 3086,2982 and 2672 by calendar year. In 2010, the granted number of circulation license was 64619, which increased to 137198 in 2013. The granted number of catering service license increased almost 5% in 2013 than that in the year of 2012. So far, all the food production enterprises in Shanghai had implemented quantitative graded management. The proportion of A-class and B-class food production enterprises in the year of 2013 increased than before, while the proportion of C-class decreased. The percentage of first-class food circulation enterprise was 91.8% in 2011, then it decreased to 88.5% in 2013. The percentage of second-class food circulation enterprise was 5.2% in 2011, which increased to 6.6% in 2013. In 2011, the percentage of third-class and forth-class circulation enterprise was 1.5% and 1.5%, which raised to 2.1% and 2.8%, respectively. A-Class catering service units accounted for 13.0% in 2010 and increased to nearly 1/3 in 2013, while the proportion of B-class and C-class catering service units decreased by years, among which B-Class decreased from 75.5%(2010) to 61.4%(2013).The eligible rate of food sampling was highest (99.9% each year from 2010 to 2013) in the link of farming and breeding, in the link of import and export the eligible rate was all above 99%. The eligible rate of food production, circulation and catering differed by years, among which the link of catering was relatively lower(86.1%-88.9%).The number of illegal cases reported by all the departments of food safety counted a total of 32310 from 2011 to 2013, increasing in years. Among all the departments related, Food and Drug Administration and Industrial and Commercial Administrative Departments were at the top in the number of cases.Nowadays, the public paid more attention on food safety, the number of consulting, complaint and report had a remarkable increase in 2013 comapring to the year of 2012 in Shanghai. The main concerning food groups contained rice, vegetables, meat and its products, grain and its products, bakery products and beverages.The risk monitoring network of food safety in China improved gradually. The number of fixed sample points of risk monitoring of food safety increased by years from 2005. In 2013, the number was 456, almost triple than that of 2012.In recent years, a number of risk assessments had been done, including assessments on acrylamide in food, benzoperoxide in flour, Sudan red in food, melamine in infant milk powderet al. Based on its original foundation, Shanghai had improved its long-term, regular and emergency system on foodborne risk assessment. Besides, a series of risk communication had been conducted, for example, Sudan red incident (2005), melamine incident, streptococcus suis disease incidents et al.ConclusionsRegions with higher economic level had higher media coverage in regard to food safety incidents. Food safety problems concerning livestock, poultry, fish, shrimp and snacks had higher media coverage. Problems like violation of food additives management, disqualification of invasive organism, excessive contents of harmful chemicals were more outstanding comparing to the others. Nearly 2/3 of the incidents resulted from the problems happened in the production or processing stage.The laws and regulations of food safety supervision and management were still imperfect and disperse so far, and the government had not formed an integrated and relevant accessory system. Besides, the update rate of food safety laws and regulations was also slow, what’s more, problems like poor executive capacity still exist. Besides, some of them were not synonymous with international standards. The construction of supervisors had a great improvement comparing with the past, but there still existed problems in manning quotas, number and structure et al.In the aspects of risk monitoring on food safety, in was still absence for the continuous, initiative and systematic monitoring system covering all food links from farmland to table. In that case, more monitoring points should be set up, more food and pathogenic bacteria categories should be added up. Besides, more professional technological installations were needed, so as to enrich and perfect the monitoring database of food safety.The research on risk assessment of food safety was still on the foundation of system established by developed countries. Risk monitoring information and the mechanism of Information collection based on the physical truth of our country was still imperfect. The database which was needed by risk assessment was deficient, professionals and technical support capability were also insufficient. In that case, more manpower, material and financial resources should be put into the construction of risk monitoring.There did exist absence of risk communication on food safety supervision and management, including slow response, not prompt, lack of scientific analysis foundation and professional studies on risk communication. Meanwhile, most of the studies focused on severe emergencies, aiming to the emphasis on incidents oriented emergency communication. In that case, we suggest that international experience should be a salutary reference. What’s more, professional institutions should be set up and professionals should also be trained, risk communications should base on scientific risk assessment.The new round of mechanism reform on food safety supervision and management had great improved and it should be a salutary trial. However, there did exist problems and obstacles in manning quotas, responsibility adjustment, policy implementation, transfer of personnel and so on, in that case, more were still to be improved in the near future. |
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