Food safety problems occur in developed countries, but thanks to quick responses by governments, most of these issues are quickly dealt with.
In addition to a highly developed consumer awareness, most governments have in place a complete response system for food safety crises, which means that there is no need to panic or shirk responsibility.
First, such a system needs legislation so that government agencies can respond to a sudden food safety crisis with timely and unified action, and to avoid a situation in which no one is held accountable.
Second, an agency, such as the EU’s Food Safety Authority, dedicated to dealing with sudden food safety problems should be established to do risk assessment and management, which should be contributed to by multiple sources to boost scientific integrity and limit government interference.
Third, an early warning system should be set up with different agencies responsible for the management and announcement of information. The US’ Emergency Prevention System for Food Safety is an example.
Finally, an urgent-response mechanism should be set up — such as the UK’s systems for food product traceability and recall — market controls should be improved, and producers and sellers who violate the law should be punished heavily.
Developed countries have made far-reaching amendments to food safety standards, and legislation has been implemented to put the responsibility and risk onto manufacturers and sellers of inferior products. This has been done to increase the willingness of buyers and importers to cooperate with companies that can provide products that meet national standards.
The US has gone further still, completing a system that records place of origin as well as wholesaler and retailer data, such that contaminated food products can quickly be traced. This means that safety controls are present throughout the supply chain, and the US government, businesses and consumers share responsibility for food safety.
These are solutions that Taiwan can learn from.
In Taiwan, no one, from the government down to companies and consumers, seems to have learned anything from past food safety scares.
Moreover, these issues have a short shelf life. If it drags on a bit, the issue is forgotten and penalties are low despite all the fuss. Lawbreaking, unscrupulous individuals and businesses have not had to pay a heavy price. That is why these food safety scandals continue to occur.
This behavior affects commercial activities and also has an effect on the human body. The government has never released detailed calculations of production losses and the medical costs due to tainted food products.
Food safety monitoring and controls are a bit like monitoring and controlling the financial industry: They must be running continuously. In addition to promptly setting up a food product traceability system and improving unequal access to information among businesses and consumers, the government must stop blaming a lack of human resources and finances, and not rely solely on the trustworthiness of manufacturers. Doing so requires cooperation between government, businesses and the general public.
Government officials cannot simply ask consumers to stop eating inferior food products — they have no way of separating good from bad — or try to placate them by saying that ingesting small volumes — how much is a “small volume”? — is not dangerous. It is a fundamental responsibility of government to provide people with an environment where they do not have to worry about what they eat and drink.
Lee Wu-chung is a professor of agricultural economics.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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