CHINA – China’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) has called for amplified regulation of food outlets after revealing the compromised food safety of certain catering outlets that have been overwhelmed by internet popularity.
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection is the highest internal control institution of the Chinese Communist Party, tasked with enforcing internal rules and regulations.
In a commentary on its website, the Commission said the so-called “Wanghong” restaurants – those with explosive online popularity – must ensure public safety.
It highlighted examples of popular restaurants that have recently been exposed for the use of fake duck blood, expired and rotten ingredients, and unsanitary food preparation practices.
These include catering brands that are well-known, large in scale, and have many stores which contrary to recent findings, should serve as model students in food safety.
The Commission drew attention to food outlets’ financial motivations of leveraging online popularity to maximize profit. This can result in less than model food safety. It noted that when the popularity of a food outlet surges in a short period of time, the food outlet’s capability to control the quality of its output lags behind.
“Some restaurant brands are rapidly expanding their popularity with the help of online marketing hype, while others are created with the aim of quickly making money.”
While the Commission found that supervision of a food outlet discovered to have poor safety is necessary after the revelation of such incidents, the Commission also called for pre-incident supervision. It underlined that such supervision should include random inspection, media monitoring, reporting on food safety risks and regular food safety training.
“The long-term development of catering companies ultimately relies on food safety, excellent quality, and excellent service. If the bottom line of food safety is abandoned, the most popular brand can only be a self-destructive sign.”
CCDI encouraged food outlets, particularly those who owe success to online popularity, to strictly self-discipline food hygiene and safety practices.
It urged authorities to strictly investigate food safety problems and make the results of investigations public. Further it advised the food outlets to organize regular food safety training to enhance the sense of responsibility and self-discipline from top to bottom.
