Authorities cleaning up controls on food safety

SHANGHAI will ensure 98 percent of foods meet standards by 2022 and keep mass food poisonings below five cases per 100,000 by that time, authorities announced yesterday.

Last year, 16,273 food samples in 34 categories were tested in the city, and 98.1 percent passed, a record high in nearly 14 years, according to the Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation.

It was 97.8 percent the year earlier.

Shanghai will make itself a food safe city corresponding to a modern international metropolis, according to a city plan following a notice of enhancing food safety released by the State Council.

The target is that the test amount of agricultural products and food will reach 10 batches per 1,000 people in the city by 2022, and the food safety satisfaction score among city residents will reach 90 points by that time, the plan states. It was 83.9 last year.

To achieve the goals, authorities will enhance the access threshold of foods supplied to the city and strengthen threshold evaluation and registration of import companies and businesses, according to the plan.

Intelligent management

The city will improve information sharing among authorities about imported food safety and crack down on smuggling to stamp out food safety hazards, the plan says.

Authorities will step up intelligent management on food safety, relying on technologies such as big data, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and block chain, the plan says.

Food safety will be included in the assessment of the performance of government officials.

Green manufacturing on agricultural products will be promoted with the application of fertilizer and pesticide cut, the plan states.

By 2022, 100 percent of food manufacturing enterprises in the city will implement the Good Manufacturing Practice standard.

The environmental hygiene levels of catering venues will be raised, and the construction of a “central kitchen” project will be accelerated.

A 100 percent “closed loop” handling system on swill oil to be turned into biodiesel will be established by the end of this year, with a corresponding market operation system established.

Campaigns on health products will be conducted.