World Food Expo Comes to Beijing as Food Safety Standards Remain a Nationwide Concern

Good news to all you foodies! It has just been announced that the World of Food Beijing, a venture between Trade fair organizer Koelnmesse and the China Chamber of Commerce for Food Stuffs and Native Produce (CFNA), is poisoned, ahem, poised to be held November 26-28 this year and will be held concurrently with the China International Dairy Expo and the 11th Sweets & Snacks China, which as a thing doesn’t even make sense.

At the event, industry leaders will discuss food safety standards, food import regulations, consumption trends and general developments in the China’s north-eastern region, an area that when coupled with the north is now responsible for 46 percent of China’s food imports.

The announcement comes just as the government commences an effort to outline a national social credit system, aimed at tackling losses (estimated at RMB 600 billion annually) caused by general graft and corner-cutting.

In order to do this, classifications in four areas will be developed so as to determine the credibility of individuals and organizations; administrative affairs, commercial activities, social behaviors and the judicial system. Noted violations within these areas should help authorities to enforce punitive measures.

Of course, as the article notes, such a system will only be as sturdy as the information collection, safety and supervision behind it.

As we all know, China is no stranger to food safety infringements and the ensuing deaths and grievances. The Shanghai Daily recently announced that there have been 21 deaths attributed to food poisoning in the first quarter of 2014, up 16.7 percent from last year, whereas the total number of food poisoning incidents is actually down 38.8 percent to 462.

So, we can all rest easy in the knowledge that after eating that next youtiao you’re more likely to just skip the whole ‘arrrgghh my stomach’ nonsense and get straight to the dying.

The article goes on to say that the most deaths occurred at the home (presumably from home cooking?) and were due to contamination from chemicals such as nitrate and methanol as well as bacteria, poisonous animal products, plants and mushrooms and warned consumers to remain cautious as the weather heats up.

Keep on truckin’ Beijing.

Photo: tenglish__ (Instragram)