Laws needed to ensure food safety

Cutthroat competition is forcing some farmers and poultry farms to lower their costs but still make high profits even at the risk of violating the law. This is a malfunction of the market, which demands strict government regulation and supervision, says an article in Qilu Evening News. Excerpts:

A recent program on China Central Television revealed that some poultry farms in Shandong province injected excessive hormone-inducing chemicals into chickens to make them grow faster and fatter, and supplied them to a Yum Brand's plant in Shanghai. The program instantly generated a heated public debate and left people wondering about food safety.

Some farmers and poultry farms are the obvious culprits in such cases. Such acts also raise questions about the integrity and social responsibility of some companies. Some individuals and companies lack business ethics and the ability to earn profits by following the law. But a near-sighted company not only ruins itself, but could also jeopardize the future of an entire sector.

The scandal of "fast-growing" chickens shows the ills of cutthroat competition. This, however, can be corrected with strict government regulations, without which supervision by civil groups and consumers will not yield the required results.

The difference in government regulation in different regions can give rise to unfair competition and thus prompt companies to resort to illegal means to earn profits. And neglecting regulations at the local level could thwart the overall development of an entire industry, and undermine food safety inspection and supervision.

This means we can guarantee safe and quality food only through comprehensive inspection of the entire industry.