CHINESE FOOD INDUSTRY-CREDITABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

India is invariably compared to China in all its endeavors and the latter always score over the latter when it comes to performance and achievements in almost all fields. Here is a peep into the Chinese food sector as reported recently.

The world's most populous country is a net exporter of food and drink, with exports in volume terms worth between 25 million and 30 million tonnes. By value, exports were worth just over US$31bn (A$33.2b) in 2008. Whilst the most significant overseas markets for the Chinese food and drinks industry include nearby Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Malaysia, the country is also a major exporter of food and drink to the US, EU countries and Russia. The country's growing significance as a supplier to the global food and drinks industry is mainly the result of its economic performance, together with the development of its domestic food industry. The Chinese economy has been experiencing double-digit increases in recent years, although lower growth is forecast for 2009 as a result of the global economic downturn and its effect on China's overseas export markets. Much of the recent economic growth has occurred in coastal provinces, which has resulted in up to 200 million rural labourers and their dependents moving to urban locations. China's food and drinks industry has developed in line with the country's economy. By value, food industry output has increased by more than 150% between 2004 and 2008, whilst its food retail market has witnessed a shift away from more traditional outlets such as wet markets to modern grocery stores. Such shifts have seen the food industry - particularly large American firms - gravitate toward Chinese expansion in order to capture higher growth rates than they can achieve in developed markets".

In contrast India, in spite of being one of the top producers of agricultural, poultry and livestock based foods, does not count in the global arena when it comes to export of foods, not being able to capture even 1% of global trade in foods. Of course the political system that operates in China is autocratic while India is an over- democratized country where decision taking is hampered by lack of consensus and a moribund bureaucracy. How these restraints can be overcome for India to reach its full potential is a million dollar question!

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

HEPATITIS CARRIERS AND FOOD INDUSTRY

Health status of personnel employed by the food industry has a bearing on the safety of the end products made by it. Infectious diseases pose a high degree of risk and the extent of microbial load on the personnel handling the food in the processing facilities can under cut the process adequacy and undermine the quality of the product manufactured. Under GMP regime sick employees are not allowed to attend to the work and medical examination is often made compulsory to certify their fitness to enter the processing environment.

There are many carriers of a particular disease causing microorganism but it is not necessary that they can pass on the infection to food if they are allowed to handle the same, unless such infections can cause problem in the oral and gastrointestinal route. Hepatitis Virus B (HBV) is supposed to be transmitted through sexual contacts and hence HBV carriers are not considered a risk if employed by the food industry. According to reports coming from China " the Nanjing government officials planned to set up the city's own regulations for people working in the food industry in accordance with the central government's latest revision toward HBV carriers in July. Earlier, China issued the Food Safety Law revision, which lifted the ban on HBV carriers working in the food sector. This marks a further step by the provincial government to implement the new food regulations and grant HBV carriers a fair chance for employment in food industry".

Though persons with certain infections may not pass on the pathogens to food or even if the food is contaminated by these pathogens, their infectious potential is considered practically nil. But the problem arises for the co-workers who may be reluctant to work with such carrier persons, though the infection is not passed to others under normal circumstances. HBV is one such infection and therefore the Chinese decision is considered reasonably safe and truly progressive.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

CHINESE CONSUMERS-FALLING CONFIDENCE

When consumers lose confidence on the ability of the domestic industry to deliver products with assured quality and unquestionable safety, they look to imported goods from countries with high reputation and reliability. This is what is happening in China which went through a harrowing time when there were avoidable mortality of children due to kidney ailments after consuming adulterated baby foods. It is sad that domestic industry does not exercise its responsibility for the safety of its patrons when such sub-standard products are put in the market for short term gains.

If reports emanating from China are true, domestic industry there is bound to suffer by the skepticism of the consumers regarding their reliability. "It seems Chinese nationals don't trust domestically produced food products as much as they once did. After last years melamine-contaminated milk powder incidents more and more Chinese people are buying milk from overseas".

It is another matter that two of the functionaries of the industry found responsible for the above crime had to pay with their lives for the negligence that caused misery to many families. Food industry in other countries must learn a lesson from the Chinese episode and resist the temptation to short circuit the quality and safety process for short term gains.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com