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Guiding hand needed

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-09 07:40

Premier Wen Jiabao appeared determined when he pledged to deliver consumers assurances that they can safely buy, eat, and use Chinese-made products.

And his audience, the 3,000 or so deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC) and more than 2,000 members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), listened closely.

After a few scandals, in particular the Sanlu milk disaster, the country desperately needs to see resolve on the government's part. Sanlu set off what deputy director Zhi Shuping of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (GAQSIQ) put as "possibly the largest-ever kidney examination in human history". By December, 30 million children who had consumed suspect dairy products had undergone medical checks.

Premier Wen's report on government work touched upon standards, market access, accountability, product recalls, and a lot more. All are important aspects in repairing risk-laden food supply chains, for which the NPC Standing Committee just passed the Law on Food Safety.

As is true of many government initiatives and national laws, the next question is how to make it really work.

We heard plenty of praise for our system, for unrivaled capacity to mobilize nationally. Indeed, last year alone, we witnessed the country's power in the wake of the Wenchuan earthquake, and the Beijing Olympic Games. But Sanlu dairy firm, on the other hand, revealed a frightening powerlessness in managing our day-to-day concerns.

Looking back on the Sanlu scandal, and other unfortunate ones, we see a pattern at work - the more government agencies are involved in one task, the less likely things get done. The secret? Liabilities can be easily transferred among the parties, so that no party gets its due share.

We agree with deputy-director Zhi Shuping that the GAQSIQ should not shoulder unlimited liabilities for the dairy scandals. That is simply not fair. As Zhi confessed, the GAQSIQ let us down on multiple fronts. Still, it was only one of several institutions charged with food safety violations. Poor responsibility definition and cross-department coordination left holes in administration, where Sanlu and its likes sneaked in.

According to the Food Safety Law, a special committee under the State Council will oversee food safety. Under it, public health authorities will play rule-maker and coordinator. And the national quality watchdog, the industry and commerce administration, and food and drug administration are respectively charged with monitoring food production, circulation, and catering services.

But as CPPCC members pointed out at a panel discussion, this seemingly exhaustive design is not an ultimate solution, either. The holes in the system that allowed Sanlu to cheat are yet to be filled, they observed.

Our existing safety guarantee mechanisms failed because responsibilities of different departments had not been properly dovetailed.

Correcting that mistake should be an overriding priority on the State Council food safety committee's agenda.

(China Daily 03/09/2009 page4)