On the morning of March 18, at the scene of the incident reported by "Laotan pickled Chinese cabbage" - Zhanqi Town, Huarong County, Yueyang, Hunan Province, an emergency mobilization meeting on the standardized development of Huarong mustard and the "Year of Quality Improvement" was being held. The main leaders of the Huarong County Party Committee and Government, 32 enterprises, 5 professional mustard planting cooperatives, and 25 mustard planting farmers gathered to express their opinions and discuss ways out on how to recognize their own mistakes, quickly investigate and rectify, and standardize processing processes.
These days, Yueyang, where the accident occurred, has carried out a special action of major investigation and rectification on the food safety of the city. Four heads of the Market Supervision Bureau have been suspended from their posts, and 109 related enterprises have been suspended from production and investigated. The legal persons of the enterprises involved have been controlled by the public security, production facilities and equipment, related products and raw materials have been sealed, related pickled Chinese cabbage bags (instant noodles) have been taken off the shelves, and the enterprises have issued product recall announcements.
The rectification at the site of the incident can be described as a grand event. However, it's unknown whether it's too late to make up for the lost sheep? You should know that food is the top priority for the people, and food safety is always a red line that cannot be hurt or touched. How many well-known brands have stumbled on this issue, some have changed their ways and made a comeback to regain consumer trust; Some never recover and permanently withdraw from the market.
On the other hand, for the whole food industry and local governments other than "Laotan pickled Chinese cabbage", I'm afraid they can't keep the attitude of "eating melons" to see the excitement, but should be alert and take active action to find problems. Consumers are more hopeful that the food industry can take this opportunity to undergo a thorough self-improvement and uphold "safety on the tip of the tongue".
According to relevant statistical data, as of the end of 2021, the number of enterprises above designated size in China's food industry reached 8496, with an even larger number of small and medium-sized enterprises and production workshops. The food manufacturing and processing industry has the characteristics of multiple points, wide coverage, low investment, and quick results. It plays an important role in expanding employment, stabilizing the economy, and promoting development. It is a prosperous industry in many rural areas.
At the same time, it is undeniable that the overall level of China's food manufacturing and processing industry, especially the primary processing industry of agricultural and sideline products, is still relatively low. In some regions, the primary processing industry of agricultural and sideline products is in a transitional stage of transformation and development, often resulting in situations where the scale becomes larger, technology cannot keep up, and management lags behind. Some traditional production methods are no longer compatible with modern people's hygiene concepts; Extensive food hygiene management and inadequate implementation of regulations are even more common. Under this pattern, there is a certain inevitability for the "Old pickled Chinese cabbage" event.
What we need to learn from the "Laotan pickled Chinese cabbage" incident is not limited to the relevant departments and enterprises in Huarong County and Junshan District of Yueyang City. The whole food industry and the places where it is located should learn from it, draw inferences from one instance, and carry out a thorough self innovation. The major investigation of local government departments should not be limited to the pickled Chinese cabbage industry, and should not stay in simple operations such as pickled Chinese cabbage off the shelf. It is necessary to comprehensively and carefully screen in combination with local conditions to see how many "old altar pickled Chinese cabbage" style food hygiene and safety hazards still exist, so as to promote the rectification process, standardized development, transformation and upgrading of food production and processing entities, rather than just close them. The leaders of various food enterprises and workshops in various regions should take a warning and not take chances. They should be in awe of consumer interests, food safety, and market rules, conduct self inspection and self correction, rectify and upgrade as soon as possible, and implement long-term standardized management. Otherwise, the next time you "overturn" or "smash", it may be you!