食品安全与社会稳定

A senior Chinese food regulator has warned that problems with food safety in the country could cause diseases and threaten social stability.

Sun Xiande, head of the food safety department at the government's main food and drug agency, admitted that the country's credibility in international markets had been threatened by a spate of health scares in the US about Chinese food products.

“Especially in the countryside, the food safety situation is not optimistic. Hidden threats will gradually emerge and diseases will likely gradually occur due to the harmful ingredients in food,” he said, in unusually blunt remarks reported in the Chinese media.

“Food safety accidents or events will not only affect the healthy development of the entire [food] industry, but also possibly affect the local economy and social stability,” he said.

His comments were a rare admission from Beijing that the country's food safety system contained enormous weaknesses that were putting consumers at risk.

Mr Sun, a director at the State Food and Drug Administration, warned a series of recent product recalls involving exports or ingredients originating in China could have a lasting impact on the country's food sector.

“Our country is facing a period with high risks for food safety,” he said. “The food security problems have impeded Chinese agriculture products and food many times in international trade, and damaged our national credibility and image.” He admitted that the Chinese authorities faced an “arduous task” restoring the reputation of the country's exports.

Although China has witnessed a series of scandals in recent years over the quality of medicines and food, the issue came to international attention after pet food in the US was found to be contaminated with potentially poisonous chemical from China.

Since then Chinese-made product recalls in the US have included toys containing lead paint, tires missing an important safety feature and toothpaste containing an industrial solvent.

Mr Sun's comments contrasted with a warning to media last week from the Chinese foreign ministry not to exaggerate food safety problems as this could cause panic among consumers.




中国食品监管部门一位高级官员日前警告称，中国的食品安全问题可能导致疾病，并对社会稳定构成威胁。

国家食品药品监督管理局(SFDA)食品安全协调司司长孙咸泽承认，美国国内有关中国食品安全的大量恐慌情绪，对中国在国际市场上的信誉构成了威胁。

“特别是农村食品安全形势不容乐观。食品安全隐患将逐步凸现，食品中危害物质导致的慢性病和遗传性疾病可能逐渐发生，”孙咸泽以异常直率的口吻表示。中国媒体报道了他的讲话。

“食品安全事故或事件个案的发生，不但影响整个（食品）产业的健康发展，还可能影响地方经济和社会稳定，”他表示。

他的讲话等于承认中国食品安全体系中存在重大薄弱环节，使消费者面临危险，这在中国官方的表态中十分罕见。

孙咸泽警告称，最近发生的一系列原产于中国的出口产品或原料召回事件，可能对中国食品行业产生持续的影响。

“我国正处于食品安全风险高发期，”他表示，“食品安全问题导致我国农产品、食品国际贸易屡次受阻，损害了出口信誉和国家形象。”他承认，恢复中国出口产品的声誉对中国政府而言是一项“艰巨的任务”。

尽管中国近年来出现了一系列药品和食品质量方面的丑闻，但在中国宠物食品在美国被发现含有有毒化学物质后，该问题受到了国际社会的关注。

自那以后，中国在美国召回了多种产品，包括含有铅涂料的玩具、缺少重要安全性能的轮胎，以及含有工业溶剂的牙膏。

孙咸泽的讲话与中国外交部的言论形成了鲜明对比。中国外交部上周警告媒体，不要夸大食品安全问题，因为这可能造成消费者的恐慌。

译者/何黎