The Chinese government's measures to improve the safety of food
products are encouraging, but the most important thing is
"implementation and results", the European Commissioner for Health
said yesterday.
"The European Union (EU) is willing to provide any support
necessary to reduce food safety problems related to Chinese
products," Markos Kyprianou said in Beijing yesterday.
During his two-day visit to Beijing, Kyprianou held high-level
meetings with Chinese officials to discuss issues such as food and
fodder exports from China, including melamine in fodder and
unauthorized genetically modified organisms in rice, and the
measures to tackle illegal trade in food products.
The two sides have agreed to meet regularly to check illegal
imports and exports of food products, he said. They will work
closely to ensure food and vegetable exports maintain high sanitary
standards.
Also, the Chinese government will inform EU of how the programs
and measures to improve food safety will bear results.
In another important cooperative step, the European Commission
is finalizing a software application that will give Chinese
authorities direct access to the data transmitted through EU's
Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). This will help target
food safety controls in future.
"Under such an alert system, food traders will be informed in
real time on any findings of problems with Chinese products in
Europe so that they can react immediately," Kyprianou said.
Last year, China was the most notified country on the RASFF,
with more than 260 food safety problems about products made in the
country.
(China Daily September 13, 2007)