U.S. China Near Food Safety Deal
13 10 2007Today’s article from the Washington Post highlights a meeting between the FDA and their counterparts in China regarding food safety. It goes on to say that they are both very close to an agreement which they expect to finalilze by December on improving China food safety. In the article it mentions Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn) and Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill) as frequent critics of China’s food safety. Why do we point the finger at China? Are we trying to use them as the scapegoat? Why is the importer not responsible? The passage of laws is only a reactive measure and what is needed is a proactive measure. We need a global awareness of food safety and that includes everybody from the US to Europe to China to … A shift in our thinking. A global cultural change. A global awareness of food safety.
First as an importer of frozen vegetables and working with China for more than 2 decades it is our responsibility to know our supplier. We make it our mission to visit China regularly, too visit the factories, to know our suppliers. That is where food safety starts and it ends with you and I the consumer, understanding and knowing the potential food risk, which will always be present albeit not very often.
We cannot eliminate 100% food risk, but we can certainly work to achieve zero risk. It all starts with knowing your supplier.
Technorati Tags: Noon International, food safety, China, FDA, DeLauro, Durbin
