Meat processing company rebuilds public trust

Cao Cunzheng, mayor of Luohe, where Shuanghui Group is based, said the city has introduced policies to support the development of modern pig farms.

"Owners of large pig farms are trained by the government in food safety issues," he said.

In a motion to the NPC, Wan called for stricter law enforcement. "In many cities, checks of food products are always based on campaigns at some special days such as World Consumer Rights Day, while the establishment of a long-term system is ignored," he said.

Supervision of food products involves many authorities, such as those in charge of agriculture, industry and commerce, health and quarantine, which making the task more complex and less efficient, Wan said.

Guo Gengmao, Party chief of Henan province, said the provincial authorities have taken more measures to ensure food safety after the Shuanghui Group scandal.

"We have stricter measures for food products, from production to circulation and sales," he said during a plenary meeting of the National People's Congress annual session on March 6.

Shuanghui Group's sales reached 56 billion yuan last year, which has restored it to its historical peak, Wan said.

"Many friends told me to be strong (after the scandal), and many people predicted my company will become the second Sanlu," which went bankrupt, he said. "But we regained the consumers' confidence and trust."

Lu Zhangong, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and former Party chief of Henan, said the government also encourages the media to supervise the food production process.

"Shuanghui Group should thank CCTV for revealing the problem," he said on March 7 during a group discussion at the NPC annual session. "Only by exposing the problems will the issue be highlighted by the government and public."

Ma Jianguo, a professor at Jiangnan University and a member of the National Committee of the CPPCC, said food safety has developed from an industrial problem into a social concern owing to insufficient supervision.

"We have never lacked laws or regulations for supervising food safety. In fact, we have too many, and some contradict each other, creating loopholes," Ma said. "It's urgent to have a comprehensive law to oversee the whole industrial chain."

Cao Xiaohong, president of Tianjin University of Science and Technology and a member of the CPPCC, said food safety concerns will not be resolved in the short term because of the social credibility crisis.

"It's necessary to inform the public about food additives, which are necessary in food processing and not as destructive as imagined," Ma said.

Li Jiabao contributed to this story.

anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn