A Chinese billionaire beverage tycoon said Monday that besides severe punishment, strict management and unified standards are necessary in ensuring food safety in China.
Zong Qinghou, chairman of beverage giant the Wahaha Group and China’s richest person according to the Hurun Global Rich List 2012, said severe punishment is “necessary”, but measures should be taken to prevent food contamination at “the very beginning” by curbing agricultural pollution.
“With polluted water and soil, pesticide and herbicide-tainted farm produces, antibiotics abuse and illegal uses of feed additives, there will be no food safety,” said Zong, a deputy to the National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislature.
Zong said the lack of unified food-safety standards has undermined China’s food safety efforts, and too many governments or departments are setting different, or even conflicting standards in food production and circulation.
Chinese courts convicted 320 people in 278 cases related to producing and distributing toxic and harmful food and additives, said another report from the Supreme People’s Court.
FoodWorld 