EU, WHO turn spotlight on China

By: Dean Best - 13 September 2007 11:15

China got a pat on the back and a clip round the earhole as WHO and EU officials voiced their views on food safety in the country.

As we all know, China has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons in recent weeks with scares over contaminated petfood, seafood and other agricultural products.

The country’s economic miracle is in grave danger from the hammering its reputation around the world; the “Made in China” brand could soon be seen as something less than reliable to say the least.

Toxic toothpaste, poisonous pet food and tyres that explode whilst on the road – these are just some of the products produced by Chinese companies that have grabbed the attention in the last few months.

That said, by all accounts, the Chinese government is taking urgent steps to improve safety standards and improve its image in the eyes of the world’s consumers.

It was very interesting to hear the views of the WHO and EU on the subject in Beijing yesterday. There was the WHO, seemingly excusing China of its food safety record, insisting that the country is not alone in requiring improvements to its food safety system. The WHO said it was “very happy” that the issue is high on the government agenda.

The EU, however, took a far firmer stance, warning of trade restrictions should China not shape up. European Commissioner for Health Markos Kyprianou acknowledged the steps China is taking to improve safety standards but insisted: “What is important is the actual results.”

The world is watching.

Comments on this blog post

No doubt China has faced a shameful situation when its products were recalled or proved unhealthy or inferior in quality. Further it's a result of the Chinese policy of flooding the market with "Made in China" products, which are of low standards. It follows the policy of mass production somewhat similar to Japan's old policy of mass production of electronics and cars to compete with American companies in the US market during the last centry. But, Japan never compromised with quality on advance level of competition. In the same way, China has responsibility to take policy decisions for following the standards for the products. Here, if we see China vis-a-vis India, the latter has somewhat more quality consciousness rather mass production consciousness. That is where, in some areas, India has started crowding out China's products. I think China may learn something from India in this regard. Even if one looks at the quality of products of the same MNC that are made in China in comparison EU or US made, there is a significant difference in quality. China can not afford such sensitive shocks, which may led to the rejection of Chinese-made products by EU and US customers, hence leading to building a negative attitude to such products. Therefore, the Chinese government needs to take urgent steps to cope up with such sensitive and burnning issues. I am presently working as reseach scholar in the Center for Studies in Science Policy, JNU, New Delhi, India. I may be contacted at rajbasera@gmail.com

Rajbeer Singh Basera, India