Shenzhen to Become 'National Food Safety City'

By Natallia Slimani

Gutter oil, plastic rice, rat meat in street barbecue restaurants and fake eggs – need we continue? A parade of food safety scares has kept mainland netizens disgusted, bewildered and occasionally entertained for more than a few years. But the inedible headlines may soon be coming to an end – at least for Shenzhen residents. 

According to an initiative announced on Friday by Shenzhen’s municipal government, the city’s food safety will be increased to ‘a satisfactory level’ for at least 70 percent of Shenzhen residents, reports Shenzhen Daily. 

The initiative is meant to earn the young metropolis a new title – ‘National Food Safety City.’ A total of 34 goals have been set for the next two years, according to the report.

The director of the Food and Drug Administration, Yue Xin, emphasized that the city has been more attentive to food safety issues in recent years and is tackling them by means of a legal reform. In 2014, the government invested RMB2.58 billion (USD396 million) in a food and drug project, which is expected to take seven years to complete. That same year, the city's Food Safety Bureau merged with the drug administration to form a market and quality supervision commission.

Potential problems may lie in the fact that over 90 percent of the city’s food supply comes from non-local sources with 80 percent undergoing government supervision. According to Yue Xin, responsible officials will be under social supervision and held accountable should food safety incidents occur.

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