在论坛这么久，今天30-3-2007我终于于开通了自己的空间，希望大家继续互相交流学习^-^ ------ 食品+英语（Food plus English）！ 本空间含有音乐，希望不要吓着各位!

发布新日志

  • [论坛] 雀巢在瑞士成立餐饮行业饮料研发中心

    2007-11-25 14:09:09

    Nestle invests in research for beverages boost
    By Neil Merrett

    摘要：全球最大食品饮料集团瑞士雀巢集团21日在瑞士奥尔布成立专业饮料研发中心，专门针对餐饮行业所需的饮料产品加大投资和研发力度。

       雀巢集团总裁包必达在中心揭幕仪式上说，目前在餐馆等家庭以外的地方就餐已经成为越来越多消费者的选择。餐饮行业对于雀巢集团来说存在巨大的商机。新成立的研发中心将重点研究创新和开发适合餐饮行业的冷热饮料。

    　　包必达表示，雀巢已将发展餐饮专业食品和饮料、营养食品和饮料以及针对中低收入消费者的特定产品列为公司未来发展的三大战略重点。雀巢集团的目标是在未来10年中将其专业食品和饮料的销售额翻一番，增加到120亿瑞士法郎(约合110亿美元)。

    　　包必达介绍说，目前雀巢在全世界97个国家雇用1万名职员开展专业食品和饮料的开发和销售工作。现在雀巢集团专业食品和饮料部门的年销售额超过60亿瑞士法郎，已经位居世界第一。


    22/11/2007 - Nestle intends to step up its focus on beverage production with the opening yesterday of its first research and development centre dedicated solely to drink brands destined for the food service industry.

    The Nestle Professional Beverage Centre, situated at the company's research and development centre in Orbe, Switzerland, will be the focus for developing new formulations and delivery systems mainly for the group's non-carbonated out-of-home beverage lines.

    In an increasingly competitive market place of high commodities and changing consumer demands, companies are coming under pressure to add value to their brands both through functional and health benefits.

    Nestle said that with the food service industry becoming an increasingly important area of revenue growth for its operations, requiring a more concerted effort to stay in touch with the market.

    Group spokesperson Francois-Xavier Perroud told BeverageDaily.com that the company therefore had decided to focus on pushing its out-of-home coffee, tea and chocolate-based beverage brands, on the back of a company wide shift towards products with health benefits.

    "Nutrition, as in all sectors of Nestle, plays an important role in the solutions we want to offer to foodservice operators," he said.

    Brands such as Nescafe, Nesquik, Milo, Nestea and Nescau will all undergo development at the centre, the company said.

    Through its location in the group's existing R&D site, the company also expects benefits from synergies with other research segments, as a result of a 1,100 workforce at the centre.  

    The beverage centre will be part of a wider shake up of the group's foodservices division, which was rebranded last month as Nestle Professional.

    Nestle said that the out-of-home food and beverage segment, in which it is currently market leader, is one of three higher growth areas that it intends to focus on.

    The company claims that sales from its food service division currently amount to �3.6bn, which it hopes will be boosted through a dedicated segment specific research division.

    Like a number of its rivals, Nestle has moved to expand it focus towards health and nutrition in a bid to dominate the growing market for added-value products through the acquisition of a number of specialist health and nutrition groups.

    In April this year, the company announced a deal to acquire nutrition group Gerber worth $5.5bn (�4bn), following on from the purchase of the Australian cereal business Uncle Toby's, and Novartis Medical Nutrition since 2006.

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  • [论坛] 英国食品饮料企业防火导则（下载）

    2007-11-25 11:30:03

    Code of practice revised on fire risk reduction

    摘要：英国最新公布的食品饮料企业防火导则。一方面指导企业如何防止火灾的发生，另一方面一旦发生火灾，与保险公司发生了争执，如何更好的保护企业。例如对于冷藏食品企业，导则规定了：

  • 遵守相关的法律法规以及火灾管理办法
  • 防火的基本要求——工作岗位允许制度以及保养维护
  • 设备和材料，包括其构造，特殊的生产工艺等
  • 火灾保护和探测设备
  • 应急相应和意外事故的策划
  • 火灾核查表，供应商评估等等。

    下载地址：http://www.airmic.com/en/Library/Guides/fire_risk_minimisation.cfm

     

    供大家参考借鉴，国内企业发生火灾事故的案例也不再少数，损失也很巨大，望大家防患于未然。

     

    A revised code of practice has been issued on how to reduce fire risk in the UK food and drink industry.

    By following the practices outlined in the document, processors can reduce their fire risks, and also potentially defend themselves if an insurance company disputes a claim. For non-UK companies the guide could serve as a reference manual on fire risk reduction.

    Tyson, Finsbury Food, and Fletchers Bakeries are just some of the companies that have  suffered fires over the past two years that disabled entire production plants.

    The new edition updates the approach that individual companies must take to ensure that they are fully compliant with legislative requirements. It also provides guidance on lowering the risk of fire in both new and existing structures.

    The revised guide was compiled by the Insurers' Fire Research Strategy Scheme (InFiReS), the Association of Insurers and Risk Managers (Airmic) and the Food Industry Panels Group (FIPG).

    Fire has been and continues to be one of the major issues facing the food processing and storage and distribution industries in the UK, the group stated in releasing the document this month.

    "Fire risk exposures in the industry can be created by the presence of high hazard processes and the widespread use of combustible construction materials," Airmic stated.  "Typically, premises are not sprinkler protected and are located in remote areas with limited cover by the local fire brigade."

    The guidance marks the latest attempt to address the two most prominent problems of recent years in the relationship between insurers and the food industry, Airmic stated.

    The guidance aims to establish a generic property loss control standard that companies can follow in the expectation that damage caused by fire will be kept to a minimum.

    It also outlines a code a practice in relation to fire risks that has the support of the UK insurance industry, the group stated.

    The approach is to encourage ongoing gradual improvement that is economically viable, Airmic stated.

    Given the changes to fire safety legislation, the guidance also updates the approach that individual companies must take to ensure that they are fully compliant with legislative requirements.

    According to the UK's industry association for chilled food processors the new code of practice covers the following areas:

    • Compliance with legislation and management of fire risks;
    • The minimisation of fire risk - core requirements including permits to work and maintenance;
    • Minimisation of fire risk - equipment and materials including construction, composite panels and specific production processes;
    • Fire protection and detection equipment;
    • Emergency response and contingency planning; and,
    • Housekeeping, fire checklist, work permits, approved suppliers and installers of approved composite panels.
    The FIPG was formed as a result of the ongoing friction between the food and insurance sectors over fire risk at plants, according to the group.

    "Whilst there have been a number of attempts in the past to evolve a generally agreed standard that food companies can work towards, there has been no universal consensus on what is a proper and economic way to control fire risk in the food industry," the document states.

    InFiReS is made up of a group of insurers, including those that underwrite food industry risks in the UK.

    Derek Mason, group risk and insurance manager at Uniq, said when the first edition came out in 2003 it was always the group's intention to work with the insurance industry to produce a second edition. He is also chair of the Airmic group.

    "When the property insurance market next hardens this code should give property risk managers ammunition to counter the wilder excesses and nonsensical demands of some insurers that were previously seen," he stated.

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  • [论坛] 研究发现Made in China声誉受损！

    2007-11-10 09:51:20

    Research shows “Made in China" brand is damaged

    摘要：研究发现Made in China声誉受损！ 本研究由CSR与香港大学共同完成，不管权威性如何，至少还是有些借鉴作用，大家可以下载报告全文。83%的受访者表示愿意花高价买更加安全的产品，生产安全的产品，即使成本增加，或许对企业仍然是有所裨益的。

     

    Research undertaken by CSR Asia in cooperation with the University of Hong Kong, reported here, investigates the perception of the public in relation to Chinese-made products, given the recent recalls and product safety problems of products in China.

     

    The survey identified changing purchasing behaviour and changing confidence in relation to concerns over product safety in China. The main findings many people have lost confidence in Chinese goods but that loss in confidence varies industry to industry. It also reveals that people are willing to pay more for safer products. Women are more concerned than men. Full findings are as follows:

     

    38% of respondents have reduced their purchases of Chinese-made products

    34% of respondents have become less likely to buy Chinese-made products

    14% of respondents have become more likely to buy Chinese products

    62% of respondents have become less confident in the purchase of food and beverages

    Loss of confidence in toys, electronics and clothing was 42%, 35% and 21% respectively

    83% of the respondents were willing to pay more for safer goods

    73% and 79% of the respondents believed the government and companies manufacturing products were responsible to ensure product safety.

     

    The results show that the public is increasingly concerned about product safety, especially with respect to food. But the research also finds that there is a willingness to pay a premium for products produced my companies who put an emphasis on safety. The message is clear – although there are consumer concerns, there are also business opportunities of safety concerns are taken seriously.

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  • [论坛] 星巴克瓶装咖啡饮料登陆中国市场

    2007-11-02 22:49:31

    Starbucks have bottled coffees to go

    摘要：星巴克与百事昨日(11-1)在上海共同宣布，星巴克瓶装星冰乐®即饮咖啡饮料从即日起将在中国国内上市供应。这款纵情美味的瓶装星冰乐®咖啡饮料将在星巴克门店以外为消费者带来独特的“星巴克体验”，方便消费者在家庭、工作或途中享受他们心爱的星巴克美味。

    据悉，星巴克与百事公司成立的新的合资企业 — “国际咖啡伙伴”（International Coffee Partnership, ICP）,将有助于双方借助百事公司的饮料分销渠道，把新型的、振奋人心的星巴克®即饮咖啡饮料推向市场。星巴克与百事公司的合作也将为中国的高端即饮咖啡饮料市场的发展带来新的模式和发展思路。同时,凭借创新的市场营销，会让中国的消费者体验到“国际咖啡伙伴”为瓶装星冰乐打造的独特的营销组合。

    星巴克瓶装星冰乐®咖啡饮料使用纯正的星巴克意大利烘焙咖啡制成。在意大利烘焙咖啡特有的轻微烟熏甜香中融入了柔滑的牛奶和适量的糖分，成为令人难以抗拒的美味体验。星巴克意大利烘焙咖啡为醇度适中的拉丁美洲综合咖啡，经烘焙后形成略深于星巴克浓缩烘焙咖啡的颜色。

    星巴克咖啡公司董事长霍华德•舒尔茨（Howard Schultz）在此间表示：“享用星巴克咖啡的最佳方式当然是在星巴克的门店点上一杯由星巴克资深咖啡师亲手调制的咖啡。星巴克门店堪称是家庭和工作之外的‘第三生活空间’。然而，我们也了解，我们的顾客无法随时惠顾星巴克门店。不过，随着瓶装星冰乐®咖啡饮料登陆中国市场，星巴克咖啡将成为消费者在门店内外‘唾手可得’的美味体验。”

    星巴克瓶装星冰乐®咖啡饮料将在上海、北京和香港的部分便利店、食品零售店、以及包括星巴克门店在内的零售网点中销售，首批上市的两款风味饮料分别为咖啡原味和摩卡咖啡。

    Starbucks Corp today started selling bottled coffee.

    Starbucks will sell bottled Frappuccino in its stores in Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong as well as selected convenience and grocery stores and other retailers, company chairman Howard Schultz said in Shanghai today.

    All the products will be produced by the International Coffee Partnership, a joint venture between Starbucks and Pepsi Co in the United States.

    The company is also considering local production in order to cut costs.

    The 280ml bottled frappuccino, which comes in its two top-selling flavors, Mocha and Coffee, will be priced at 15 yuan (US$2) to 20 yuan in the three cities.

    Seattle-based Starbucks has rapidly added new stores in China as well as broadening its production channels as it forecasts the country will become its biggest overseas market.

    "The most important number one growth market in terms of growth and development for Starbucks around the world is China," said Schultz."It's just the beginning of the growth we have planned for China."

    Since the bottled drinks were introduced in North America in the mid 1990s they have generated US$1 billion in sales.

    The coffee chain entered China in 1998 with its first store in Beijing. It now has about 600 stores in China including 300 on the mainland with over 10,000 employees. Last year, it opened 80 stores in China.

     

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  • [论坛] 肯德基牵手蒙牛,肯德基2000家门店将卖蒙牛牛奶

    2007-10-25 16:00:20

    China's Mengniu to supply milk to KFC restaurants

    摘要：百胜餐饮集团中国事业部和蒙牛乳业集团22日宣布，肯德基与蒙牛结成策略联盟。从明年年初开始，在中国肯德基近两千家连锁餐厅里，人们将可品尝到香浓可口的蒙牛牛奶。

    此外，双方的合作还表现在相互进入由对方发起的公益活动中，为推动整个社会的健康和谐互助一把力。

    肯德基作为爱心伙伴加入由蒙牛和中国奶协联合发起的“中国牛奶爱心行动”，通过双方在中国各自拥有的强大销售网络，推动国人普及饮奶运动。

    而蒙牛则加入肯德基全国青少年三人篮球冠军挑战赛合作伙伴的行列，共同推动“天天运动，健康一生”的运动理念，帮助年轻人培养良好的运动习惯。这项赛事始创于2004年，由肯德基与中国篮球协会共同主办，每个赛季历时三个月，覆盖全国30个省市自治区。

    一个是全球最大的餐饮集团，一个是快速成长的中国乳业领袖，作为中国人饮食的两大龙头企业，基于“致力于奉献给国人优质、健康的饮食选择”的经营理念和社会责任走到一起。业内人士指出，两家结为策略联盟，将为双方实现各自战略目标提供强大的助推力。


    SHANGHAI, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Mengniu Dairy, China's biggest milk producer, will start supplying milk to the country's 2,000 KFC restaurants next year, as it aims to expand sales channels beyond supermarkets and retail outlets.

    Mengniu and KFC's parent Yum Brands Inc have formed a strategic alliance on milk supply, the companies said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

    "This means a new market for Mengniu, and will be translated into more sales," said Guo Changsheng, analyst at Shanghai Securities.

    "However, milk may be sold to KFC quite cheaply so the profit margins of this business should be thin."

    The companies delined to disclose details of the agreement.

    Mengniu has been expanding its sales channels amid cut-throat competition with Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co and Bright Dairy & Food Co in the world's fastest-growing dairy market.

    Earlier this year, Mengniu replaced Nestle to supply milk to Starbucks coffee shops in Beijing.

    The company, which owns a yoghurt venture with French food group Danone, posted a 41.3 percent jump in profit in the first half, with sales increasing 33 percent to 10 billion yuan ($1.3 billion).

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  • [论坛] 达能出售持有的中国乳制品股份

    2007-10-21 12:43:18

    Danone sells Chinese dairy stake


    摘要：10月16日，光明乳业发布公告称，该公司第三大股东达能亚洲将所持的20.01%的股份以每股4.58元低价转让给光明乳业的两大股东——上海牛奶集团和上实控股，两家公司各接受10.005％，转让款合计为9.55亿元。双方有关的业务合作协议和知识产权许可协议也将同时终止。为此，达能将向光明乳业支付3.3亿元的市场、渠道等相关补偿费用。而在此之前的4月，达能在收回托付光明打理的子品牌“碧悠”时，也曾向其支付了相关补偿费用8000万元。至此，达能和中国新鲜乳品霸主光明乳业结束了长达15年（1992年3月－2007年10月）的合作，而达能为了此次分手先后共支付了4.1亿元的高额费用。


    　　　达能方面接受本报记者采访时表示，此次基于各自发展战略的需要，双方达成了转让股份的协议。但对于更为具体的“战略需要”，达能方面没作出更为详实的回答。


    　　　业内人士分析称，达能此次全面退出光明，主要目的是希望借缩小国内战线谋求与娃哈哈继续合作的可能性。因为达能不愿意放弃中国饮料市场，尤其是娃哈哈。虽然达能与娃哈哈合资纠纷进入了诉讼程序，但达能仍未放弃与娃哈哈和解的想法，并且正通过各种渠道促进这种可能性的实现。

    Danone is a step nearer to going it alone in the Chinese dairy market after selling its entire 20.01 per cent stake in Shanghai-based Bright Dairy and Food and terminating a distribution agreement for its products.

    A spokesperson for the France-based company yesterday told DairyReporter.com that the sale, which he claims was scheduled for some time, allowed Danone to "regain room for manoeuvre" in order to develop fresh dairy products in the country.

    Danone refused to give the financial details about the sale of its stake in Bright Dairy or who the buyer was.

    Bright Dairy stated that Danone would pay 330m yuan (�31m) to terminate the existing distribution and production agreement between the two businesses. Danone refused to comment about the terms.

    Though an increasing number of food and beverage groups are working with local partners to expand into new markets, the strategy is not without its problems for some manufacturers.

    Danone in particular has been engaged in a number of legal disputes with various joint venture partners in China, India and South America over the last year, relating to how its brands are marketed and produced.

    Despite these recent difficulties for the company's joint venture strategy in emerging markets like Asia, the group spokesperson said that ongoing disputes with both current and former partners had not changed its future expansion plans.

    The spokesperson added that Danone remains "pragmatic" with its plan to enter markets, either by pursuing joint ventures where opportunities arise, or through developing a business from scratch if it is required.

    However, Danone was unable to comment on whether it had further expansion plans for its global operations at the moment.

    The company had originally ceased operational cooperation with Bright Dairy back in 2006, which allowed it to claim back the license for its BIO brands in the country, the spokesperson added.

    The resolution of the deal will come as some relief to the company, which has found expansion in some markets anything but plain sailing.

    In June, the Indian government informed Danone that it needed permission from local partner the Wadia group before it could sell its brands separately within the country.

    The government referred to Press Note 1, a piece of legislation relating to foreign companies that work with an Indian group in a joint venture.

    Foreign operators must get permission before operating independently, according to the Business Standard.

    The decision came on top of a number of disagreements between the two parties over Danone's investment in local nutraceuticals company, Avesthagen, and some royalty payments relating to other ventures.

    The difficulties in India mirrored a bitter fall out between Danone and a Chinese joint venture partner Wahaha, with which it is currently locked into a court battle over alleged breaches of contract.

    Earlier this year, Wahaha criticised its partnership with Danone for preventing the company from manufacturing goods that compete directly with products released through its joint ventures with the French business.

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  • [论坛] 可口可乐设立中国研究中心开发草本饮料

    2007-10-21 11:13:18

    Coca-Cola seeks medicinal and coffee kicks

    可口可乐公司在中国开设研究中心

    10.17.2007

    摘要：可口可乐公司周三宣布，该公司将在北京启动一家中药研究中心，专门研究中药的配方。这一研究中心是可口可乐公司同中国医学科学院签署的长期合作项目之一。

    可口可乐公司副总裁、开发和管理部门的主管Applebaum说：我们希望这一研究中心是为加强饮料配方、提高创新做出的贡献。他说，我们可以利用我们的全球网络以及世界级市场营销经验，配制保健饮料，弘扬中国古老智慧和文化。

    该公司称，他们可能在全球推广这类饮料，但目前还没有计划。

    可口可乐已经在中国组织生产和销售，市场成长很快。

    Coca-Cola this week announced plans to scour China for traditional medicines to develop a more nutritionally beneficial portfolio of drinks.

    With the group's core carbonated soft drink brands undergoing sales declines in some markets, Coca-Cola is joining the search by a number of manufacturers for alternative products to entice increasingly health conscious consumers.

    To cater for this changing demand, the group announced the official opening of a new project in Asia to step up its focus on developing products with nutritional benefits.

    Coca-Cola said on Sunday that it now has a permanent research centre at the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences in Beijing.

    Coca-Cola's chief scientific officer Rhona Applebaum said the company will aim to identify potential nutritional benefits from traditional Chinese medicines to incorporate into new beverage brands.

    "We see this centre as an important step in strengthening our innovation pipeline for beverages that contribute to well-being," she stated.

    "As the world's largest beverage company, we can add global reach and world-class marketing skills to help promote Chinese wisdom in preventive holistic health through new and innovative beverages," Applebaum added.

    In a move the company claims is an industry first, Coca-Cola's own researchers will work with staff at the medical academy to employ state-of-the-art technologies to devise beverages formulations containing locally sourced herbal ingredients.

    Coca-Cola said the site was opened ahead of Pacific Health Forum Personal Health Workshop, which this year focuses on "Responding to the Modern Lifestyle" will look to how     Chinese medicine can benefit global consumers.

    The event was co-sponsored by the Beverage Institute for Health & Wellness of     The Coca-Cola Company (BIHW).

    BIHW was set up by the Coca-Cola Company in 2004 to encourage development of nutrition and health science linked to beverage production.

    The opening comes less that twenty fours hours before the company yesterday announced that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding with coffee group Illy to form a joint venture to tap into the growing global market for     ready-to-drink coffee.

    According to the company's figures, the ready-to-drink coffee market, currently valued at $10bn, is projected to expand on average by 10.1 per cent over the next five years.

    Muhtar Kent, Coca-Cola's president and chief operating officer, said that combining its own distribution and marketing experience with Illy's coffee products would allow it to make a strong entry into the segment.

    "This partnership demonstrates our commitment to meeting evolving consumer demands while creating additional value for our system, our customers and our shareowners," he stated.

    Though both companies have yet to set out the specifics of the deal, they hope to have reached an agreement over the venture by the end of the year.

    Adopting this combined focus for beverage innovation comes at a crucial time for the company and its international bottlers, which have had some difficulty in meeting consumer demands in recent years.

    Earlier this year, Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE), the group's main bottler in North America and Western Europe, said earnings per share were expected to fall between five and 10 per cent in 2007, compared to last year.

    It is a prediction that follows Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) decision to axe more than 3,000 jobs, and re-iterates the firm's struggle to realign its business with consumer demand.

    CCE global revenues rose five per cent for the first fiscal quarter to $4.56bn, thanks to more strong performances from juice, water and sports drinks in North America, and the expansion of Coke Zero into France and the Netherlands.

    But volumes declined four per cent in North America, CCE said, as consumers continued to leave full sugar, fizzy soft drinks on the shelves. 

    CCE added that it also faced "great challenges" in the UK, with moves like renaming the fizzy drinks category 'sparkling beverages', instead of the traditional 'carbonated', not yet paying off.

     

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  • [论坛] 星巴克与百事将扩大在中国的合作

    2007-09-30 10:56:59

    Starbucks and PepsiCo Announce a Multi-Country Deal

    摘要：星巴克公司与百事公司周四宣布，将扩大其在北美以外的合作关系，使星巴克的即饮咖啡饮料得以在更多国家上市。首先受益的国家就是中国。

    总部位于西雅图的星巴克表示，目前在大中华区总共经营着540家以上的咖啡店。

    双方的这一合作将使星巴克能够通过百事公司的饮料分销渠道，包括食品杂货店和便利店等来供应其即饮咖啡饮料。

    星巴克目前在韩国、日本和台湾地区通过与其它一些公司的合作来销售其即饮咖啡饮料，该公司此次与百事扩大合作不会影响其在这三个市场的合作关系。

    Starbucks and PepsiCo announced today they are expanding their relationship beyond North America. This expanded partnership has the potential to bring Starbucks® ready-to-drink coffee beverages to an increasing number of coffee lovers around the world.

    "Coffee is the heart of our business,"said Gerry Lopez, president, Starbucks Global Consumer Products Group. "With our coffee expertise and PepsiCo's extensive sales and distribution network, this joint venture will allow us to provide an authentic Starbucks coffee experience to millions more consumers around the world anytime and anywhere they want it. This could include countries that may not currently have Starbucks stores."

    "We are very excited about building on the success of the North American Coffee Partnership between PepsiCo and Starbucks, which essentially created the ready-to-drink coffee market in the U.S. and Canada," said Michael White, chief executive officer of PepsiCo International and vice chairman of PepsiCo. "As we look ahead, we see opportunities to bring outstanding Starbucks® ready-to-drink coffee products to consumers in many more countries."

    The joint venture will enable the companies to provide new and existing Starbucks® ready-to-drink beverages via PepsiCo's beverage distribution channels, including grocery and convenience stores, as well as other locations. Starbucks will provide the coffee knowledge, and all coffee used in the products will be sourced and roasted in accordance with Starbucks stringent coffee quality standards.

    Initial Expansion into China

    The first market to benefit from the expanded relationship outside of North America will be China. There are currently more than 540 Starbucks stores operating in Greater China.

    "Thinking back to my first trip to China, I was humbled by the warmth of the people and acceptance and enthusiasm for the Starbucks brand," said Howard Schultz, chairman, Starbucks Coffee Company. "It is an honor to now announce our next commitment to China by making it the first country, as part of the new joint venture, where Starbucks® ready-to-drink coffee beverages will be available."

    Starbucks currently sells ready-to-drink coffee beverages in South Korea, Japan and Taiwan through relationships with other companies. The expanded relationship with PepsiCo will not change the current relationships in those three markets.

    In North America, Starbucks® bottled Frappuccino® coffee drinks, Starbucks DoubleShot® espresso drinks, and Starbucks® Iced Coffee drinks are available through a joint venture between Starbucks and PepsiCo. A new line of dark chocolate Starbucks® bottled Frappuccino® beverages were announced this fall. The first offering for the holiday season is a Starbucks® Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mocha bottled Frappuccino® coffee drink.

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  • [论坛] 达能在美国推广益生菌酸奶

    2007-09-30 10:20:19

    Danone Campaign to Woo US over Benefits of Probiotic Yoghurts

    摘要：数据显示，今年美国的酸奶市场3.8 billion euro，益生菌酸奶为half a billion euros，而欧洲酸奶市场12 billion euro， 益生菌酸奶为 2 billion 。另外，美国人酸奶的人均消费量只有欧洲市场的三分之一，无形之中有着非常巨大的市场。达能准备在美国推广其益生菌酸奶。与此同时，还有General Mill's 和 Kashi公司的竞争。

    French dairy giant Groupe Danone is bidding to make significant in-roads into the lucrative US market with its probiotic yoghurts.

    Under its US subsidiary Dannon, the company is seeking to persuade sceptical consumers and the medical community of the benefits of its yoghurts that carry patented bacteria. Tests have shown these "good bacteria" help digestion, say the manufacturer.

    The US yoghurt market is a potentially lucrative one and, since Americans, on average, only consume one third of their counterparts in Western Europe, one where there is room for growth.

    Figures released by Euromonitor International reveal the American yoghurt market will be worth 3.8 billion euro this year, with probiotics accounting for half a billion euros of that amount. In Europe the total yoghurt market is 12 billion euro, where probiotics sales reach over 2 billion euro.


    In an effort to persuade sceptics in the US, Dannon teamed up with rival Yakult to fund a symposium last year on the health impact of probiotics at Harvard Medical School's Division of Nutrition. Dannon has also focused some of it marketing in specialised medical publications.

    Dannon said it views the US as a growth market and has plans to launch one of its best-known probiotic brands there after its extensive market research indicated the market might be more receptive.

    But it will have competition after General Mill's and Kashi, a natural food company, also put their own probiotic products on the market.

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  • [论坛] 百事携手联合利华继续打造茶饮料市场

    2007-09-30 09:46:00

    Pepsi extends Unilever tea deal

    摘要：2004年，全球两大巨头百事公司和联合利华公司在广州共同宣布，由百事公司和联合利华合资建立的国际联盟———百事立顿国际公司的业务范围将扩展至中国市场。百事(中国)投资有限公司将负责在中国市场生产和销售立顿即饮茶。双方合作始于1991年，立顿茶饮料在美国与加拿大即饮茶市场上一直牢牢占据领先地位。去年11月，百事公司与联合利华建立了一家国际性合资公司，双方各占50%的股份，在世界各地指定市场中经销立顿即饮茶饮料。

    此次签定的合作协议之所以签定，是双方合作的一个延伸。百事可乐公司将和联合利华公司联手使利顿即饮茶饮料打入世界市场，满足广大消费者对健康饮料的需求。

    协议规定，百事公司将使用其装瓶技术和销售网络销售联合利华公司生产的茶饮料，使茶饮料的全球销售增加一倍。为了满足消费者对非碳气饮料的需求，公司会在欧洲和亚洲扩大其贸易范围。协议双方将在西欧和亚洲新开辟11个市场，其中包括：德国、意大利、法国、荷兰、瑞士、澳大利亚、比利时、葡萄牙、韩国、台湾、南非。百事饮料公司的总经理MichaelWhite称，鉴于消费者对健康和营养型饮料的需求，两个公司签定这个协定是两个公司向世界迈进的重要一步。可以说，这对百事公司来说是强化其在饮料市场地位的最有效方法之一。

    Pepsi and Unilever are to extend their agreement over distribution and marketing of the Lipton ready-to-drink tea brand to target a growing global demand for the products..

    Through the deal, Pepsi will combine its bottling and distribution networks with Unilever's core tea brand to double the global capacity of their joint venture.

    The company revealed that the agreement would allow it to extend its reach to markets in both in Europe and Asia, targeted growing consumer demand for non-carbonated alternatives for soft drinks.

    With consumers turning away from carbonated beverages towards products that claim health and nutrition benefits, PepsiCo's chief executive officer Michael White said the deal was an important step for growth of it global operations. 

    "This is a wonderful opportunity to strengthen our position in one of the fastest-growing beverage categories," he stated.

    Under the agreement, the partnership will operate in 11 new markets in Western Europe and Asia.  This will extend the venture into Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium and Portugal as well as Korea, Taiwan and South Africa

    A previous agreement between the two companies has been in place since 1991, resulting in the creation of the leading ready-to-drink tea brand in the US, PepsiCo claims.

    This deal was extended in 2003 with the formation of the Pepsi Lipton International joint venture that operates in over 40 countries worldwide.

    The move to expand their focus into Western Europe in particular could prove prudent for the group, with the region enjoying strong growth for sales of tea-based beverages.

    Between 2002 and 2006 the market for ready-to-drink tea products grew 7.4 per cent to ?1.5bn, according to consumer analyst Euromonitor.

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  • [论坛] 菲律宾可口可乐重组完毕

    2007-09-08 12:03:22

    Coca-Cola Bottling Philippines to Reorganise Manufacturing Operations

    据菲律宾《商报》9月5日报道，总部设在亚特兰大的可口可乐公司重整了菲律宾可口可乐公司和它属下两个附属公司，以期在菲律宾市场取得更大份额。　　 

    菲可口可乐公司、大同汽水公司和菲饮料伙伴公司周一宣布完成重组计划。它们创造了1000份新职位和聘用了2000名新销售人员以促进效率和夺取市场份额。　　 

    该公司说，作为一个商业组织，它希望通过将公司重点转向市场拓展和客户服务，以进一步促进市场和财务增长。

    Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc. (CCBPI) and its subsidiaries Cosmos Bottling Corporation (CBC) and Philippine Beverage Partners Inc. (PhilBev) have announced reorganization plans.

    The reorganization will create an additional 1,000 new jobs across the Philippines. CCBPI will directly employ as much as 7,367 people in the Philippines.

    CCBPI Public Affairs and Communications Director JB Baylon said: "As a business organization, we want to further drive both our market and financial growth by refocusing our organization towards market development and customer service".

    Under the plan, Cosmos Bottling Corporation will transfer the manufacturing requirements of its plants located at Cauayan, Isabela; San Jacinto, Pangasinan; San Fernando, Pampanga; Iloilo, and Cebu to specified plants of Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc.

    It is expected that about 1,500 Cosmos workers will be made redundant with the closure of the 5 facilities.

    However, "many existing CBC and PhilBev sales employees will be redeployed to other specified CCBPI installations. Those, who cannot be redeployed, will receive a good and fair separation package," CCBPI said in a statement.

    The Coca-Cola Company fully acquired CCBPI in February. Coca-Cola bought San Miguel's 65% stake in the bottling firm for USD 590 million. FLEXNEWS initially reported the acquisition in November 2006.

    San Miguel and Coca-Cola jointly acquired CCBPI in July 2001 from Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd. of Australia.

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  • [论坛] 星巴克（Starbucks）计划在云南购买咖啡豆

    2007-09-08 11:37:08

    Starbucks to Source Coffee from China

    全球最大咖啡连锁店星巴克（Starbucks）高级副总裁兼大中华区总裁王金龙昨表示，因中国经济地位日趋重要，星巴克大中华区的门店数量将因此倍增至1,000家。

    内地咖啡销售年增25%

    　　路透社引述王金龙表示，星巴克大中华区目前约有540家门店，随着中国在世界发挥着愈来愈重要的作用，门店数目在未来将增至1,000家，当中除了中国内地外，也包括台湾及香港等地区。

    　　虽然，王金龙未有提出达到1,000家门店目标的具体时间表，但他认为目前星巴克正致力于扩展中国市场，其销售增长率亦高于其他地区，此举可以为实现目标创造有利条件。

    　　另外，他表示目前中国咖啡消费行业销售，正以每年20%至25%速度增长；星巴克在中国的销售增长率则高于这个水平。

    计划向云南购买咖啡豆

    　　关于在中国的产品采购问题，王金龙称，星巴克除已选择蒙牛乳业（2319）作为其牛奶供应商之外，亦有计划从中国云南地区购买咖啡豆。

    　　星巴克在1998年进入台湾、99年进驻北京，在短短几年间，星巴克已成为内地咖啡行业的第一品牌；以内地为例，分店遍布于北京、天津、上海及南京等各大城市。此外，对内地消费者来说，星巴克不止是咖啡饮品，更是一个品牌和一种文化。


    Starbucks Corp, the world's biggest coffee-shop chain, said it planned to source coffee from China for the first time as it expands in a country with more than 5,000 years of tea-drinking culture.

    Starbucks has been working with coffee farmers in China's southwestern Yunnan province to help them meet sourcing standards and has sent coffee shipments to the United States for testing, Starbucks China President Wang Jinlong said at the Reuters China Century Summit on Tuesday.

    "China does produce some quality coffee," Wang said at the summit, held at the Reuters office in Shanghai.

    He added that sourcing from China would start "very soon, maybe in a couple of years".

    Starbucks also plans to build a roasting plant in China, where its sales are outpacing market growth, Wang said, adding that China's coffee consumption is increasing 20 to 25 percent each year.

    He reiterated that Seattle-based Starbucks aimed to more than triple its global outlets to 40,000 and expected China to become its biggest overseas market.

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  • [论坛] 可口可乐明年8月关闭爱尔兰一厂房

    2007-09-01 07:09:15

    Coca-Cola to Shut Drinks Manufacturing Plant in Ireland, Cut Jobs

    摘要：饮品生产商可口可乐30日宣布，计画明年8月关闭位於爱尔兰的一间生产厂房，涉及员工人数256名，但由於公司会於区内另外两间生产厂房增聘90名员工，部份受影响员工将获转职安排，实际影响员工约166名；公司表示，希望透过将生产集中在2间厂房，以减省营运成本。

    Dublin, Ireland, August 29, 2007 - Coca-Cola Inc. (KO) announced plans Wednesday to close one of its three plants in Ireland and trim 166 jobs.

    The Atlanta maker of Coke, Sprite and scores of other drinks said it was shifting its production of concentrates from its 30-year-old plant in Drogheda, north of Dublin, to two other Irish plants to boost efficiencies and save costs.

    In a statement, Coca-Cola said 256 jobs would be cut in Drogheda, but 90 jobs would be created at the other two plants in Ballina, County Mayo, in Ireland's extreme west and Athy, County Kildare, southwest of Dublin.

    The company said boosting production at those two bases would be "sufficient to meet the current and future demand for concentrate and beverage base supply from Ireland."

    Hugo Reidy, general manager of the Drogheda plant, said it would close in September 2008. Workers who didn't want to relocate to other Coca-Cola plants in Ireland would receive "a generous redundancy and early retirement package together with financial advice, job search, retraining and business startup assistance," he said.

    Labor union leaders accused Coca-Cola of mounting the action to close down a plant with union-organized workers in favor of the Ballina plant, where workers are not unionized.

    Arthur Hall, regional secretary of the Technical, Engineering and Electrical Union that represents many Coca-Cola employees in Ireland, called the Drogheda cutbacks "corporate greed at its worst."

    "This is a highly profitable operation and it has not lost a day of production in disputes for well over a decade. The only reason why it is moving its main production to Ballina that I can see, is that it has a non-unionized work force there and can ensure less of its profits stay in the local economy," Hall said.

    For the past three decades the Drogheda plant has produced concentrates for drinks that are distributed to bottling plants throughout Europe.

    Ireland's trade and employment minister, Micheal Martin, said he regretted Coca-Cola's cutbacks but thanked the company for offering generous layoff payments and other support. He said the government also would offer those who lost jobs retraining opportunities.

    Coca-Cola said it would keep open its shared services center in Drogheda, which employs more than 110 people and offers support to company operations worldwide. The planned cuts would leave Coca-Cola with 540 employees in Ireland.

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  • [论坛] 通化葡萄酒公司收购加拿大皇家冰酒酒庄

    2007-09-01 06:56:11

    Chinese grape wine producer acquires Canadian winery

    China's Tonhwa Grape Wine Co., Ltd inked a contract with the King's Court Estate Winery from Canada to purchase a 70 percent stake of the Canadian company with 50 million yuan (6.6 million U.S. dollars), announced the company on Tuesday.

    With about 133 hectares of grape plantation and advanced icewine producing technique from its Canadian counterpart, Tonhwa vows to expand its ice wine market.

    "We would provide the Chinese people the first bottle of classic icewine with VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) standard produced by an enterprise acquired overseas," said Wang Xiaoming, general manager of Tonhwa.

    Tonhwa Grape Wine Co., Ltd, established in 1937 and based in northeast China's Jilin Province, is the first icewine producer in China. Tonhwa is China's winery at highest latitude. It took the golden prize in the International Wine Challenge (IWC) last year.

    Canada is the largest producer of icewine, and the King's Court Estate Winery in Ontario is a supplier of wholesale VQA Canadian wines to other wineries in bulk or bottles worldwide.

    28日下午，中国·通化葡萄酒股份有限公司与加拿大皇家冰酒酒庄在吉林省长春市签订了战略收购协议，这是中国企业首次在加拿大本土收购冰酒酒庄。

    中国·通化葡萄酒股份有限公司拟投资5000万元人民币收购加拿大皇家冰酒酒庄70%的股份，取得将近2000亩的优质冰葡萄酒种植园和先进的酿酒技术。据了解，中国·通化葡萄酒股份有限公司计划大力发展冰葡萄酒市场，借鉴学习加拿大冰葡萄酒的先进技术经验，并整合国内产业资源及全球营销网络。

    “我们将为中国市场提供第一瓶海外收购企业生产的符合VQA标准的顶级冰酒。”中国·通化 葡萄酒股份有限公司总经理王晓鸣说。

    据介绍，加拿大皇家冰酒酒庄位于安大略省四大葡萄种植区的核心区尼亚加拉半岛，是安大略省最大的冰酒原酒供应商之一，而安大略省占有加拿大75%的冰葡萄酒市场份额。同时，加拿大皇家冰酒酒庄还向瑞典、德国、日本、韩国等地输送冰酒产品。

    该酒庄负责人约瑟夫·齐默尔曼在签约仪式上表示，随着中国·通化葡萄酒股份有限公司对加拿大皇家冰酒酒庄的收购以及中国对加拿大葡萄酒工业的投资，两国的葡萄酒酿造业都将迎来新篇章。

    中国·通化葡萄酒股份有限公司是中国首家冰葡萄酒生产者，通化地处北纬40°５2′-43°３′，与法国波尔多等世界著名葡萄产地同属北纬40°的葡萄黄金生产带，是中国纬度最高的酿酒葡萄产区，曾在2006年国际葡萄酒烈酒挑战赛中荣获唯一非欧洲产葡萄酿酒金奖。

    28日，中国·通化葡萄酒股份有限公司同时举行了成立70周年及中国通化葡萄酒城冠名庆典活动。

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  • [论坛] 英文版《中国的食品质量安全状况》白皮书

    2007-08-19 10:05:40

    中文版请参见：http://bbs.foodmate.net/viewthread.php?tid=135339&extra=page=1

    或者word版本：http://bbs.foodmate.net/viewthread.php?tid=135377&extra=page=1

    China's food quality and safety

        Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China

        August 2007, Beijing

        The quality and safety of food is a major benchmark of the economic development and people's living conditions of a country. Adhering to the people-oriented approach, the Chinese government has always attached great importance to food quality and safety. Moreover, sticking to the principle of nipping problems in the bud, it has built and improved a supervisory system and mechanism for food safety, strengthened legislation and the setting of relevant standards, exercised strict quality control regarding food, actively promoted international exchanges and cooperation in this respect, and has greatly raised public awareness of food safety. Thanks to such efforts, the overall level of food quality in China is being steadily enhanced, the situation of food safety is continuously improving, and the order in food production and operation have markedly turned for the better.

        I. Food Production and Food Quality

        1. The Quality and Safety Level of Processed Food Is Steadily Improving

        (1) Rapid and Sound Development of the Food-processing Industry

        In recent years, China's food industry has maintained fast and sound growth, with a steady increase in economic benefits. Foodstuffs can be classified by their raw materials and processing techniques into 525 kinds in 28 categories: processed grain products; edible oil, fat and fat products; seasonings; meat products; dairy products; soft drinks; convenient food; biscuits; canned food; iced drinks; fast-frozen food; potato and dilated food; candies (including chocolate and chocolate products); tea; alcoholic beverages; vegetable products; fruit products; roasted seeds and nuts; egg products; cocoa and bakery coffee products; sugar; processed aquatic products; starch and starch products; pastries; bean products; bee products; special diet food, and others. At present, China has 448,000 enterprises engaged in foodstuff production and processing. Among them, 26,000 enterprises of designated scale occupy 72 percent of the market, taking the leading role in terms of output and sales revenue; 69,000 are enterprises not up to the designated scale and those with more than ten employees, taking up a market share of 18.7 percent; and 353,000 are small businesses or workshops with fewer than ten employees, with a market share of 9.3 percent.

        Statistics show that, in 2006, industrial food enterprises of designated scale generated 2,158.695 billion yuan of output value (excluding tobacco), accounting for 6.8 percent of the national industrial output value, and up 23.5 percent year on year. The average annual industrial added value and profit of processing enterprises of grain, oil, meat and dairy products all exceeded 20percent. The output of major foodstuffs in 2006 were: wheat flour, 51.93 million tons; edible vegetable oil, 19.855 million tons; fresh frozen meat, 11.125 million tons; dairy products, 14.596 million tons; beer, 35.152 million kl; and soft drinks, 42.198 million tons. These figures show rises of 28.2 percent, 17.5 percent, 24.0 percent, 23.5 percent, 14.7 percent and 21.5 percent year on year, respectively. In the first six months of 2007, the accumulated output value of the food industry amounted to 1,281.62billion yuan, up 29.9 percent as compared with the corresponding period last year. The output of beer, edible oil, soft drinks and gourmet powder led the world.

        At present, the development of China's food industry displays the following features:

        One, the processing techniques and equipment of some food enterprises reach or approach the advanced international level. Large meat, dairy product, beverage and beer producers all have world first-class production and testing facilities, which guarantees the quality of their products. The development and application of such key processing techniques as membrane-separation technology, physical property modification, cold-aseptic filling, concentration and cold processing has narrowed China's gap with the world advanced level in terms of processing technology and equipment.

        Two, quality control of the enterprises has become more scientific and standard. So far, 107,000 food producers have obtained market access permits regarding quality and safety, and 2,675 have been granted hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) certificates.

        Three, the structure of products is being improved to cater to the increasingly diverse demands of consumers. The proportion of intensively or deeply processed foodstuffs to the total output of foodstuffs keeps increasing. For instance, liquid dairies now account for more than 85 percent of the total output of dairy products; colas no longer dominate the market, as a result of the mushrooming of packed drinking water and fruit, vegetable and tea drinks; special flour above second grade accounts for 65 percent of the total output of wheat flour; standard rice above first grade accounts for 88 percent of the total output of rice, and special rice for 33.9 percent of the total output of rice; and Grades I and II oil (salad oil and quality culinary oil according to previous national standards) accounts for 58.5 percent of the total output of edible vegetable oil.

        (2) Continuous Improvement of Food Quality

        One, the acceptance rate of foodstuffs on the whole is steadily rising. The rate was 77.9 percent in the 2006 national foodstuffs sample survey, and it rose to 85.1 percent in a similar survey in the first half of 2007. The level of food quality and safety remains stable, with a gradual upturn.

        Two, the quality of food produced nationwide is improving. In the first half of 2007, the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government on the mainland of China reported an average 89.2-percent acceptance rate of foodstuffs, and the figure in 14 of them surpassed 90 percent.

        Three, the quality of food in key sectors is fairly high. Thanks to the country's endeavors to improve the work of food producers and processors, the quality of 525 kinds of foodstuffs in 28 categories has been enhanced to various degrees, with remarkable progress in the quality of food with a large daily consumption. According to statistics, the ten foodstuffs with the largest consumption are edible oil, fat and fat products; alcoholic beverages; aquatic products; processed grain products; soft drinks; meat products; dairy products; seasonings; starch and starch products; and sugar. In the first half of 2007, sample surveys showed a 90-percent or higher acceptance rate of all the above ten foodstuffs except aquatic products, whose acceptance rate was 85 percent. That of meat products was 97.6 percent.

        (3) Quality Food Dominating the Market

        Along with the development of the food industry, the scale of food producers keeps growing, production is becoming more concentrated, and the quality of foodstuffs of large and medium-sized producers is sound. In 2006, the top 100 revenue earners held 24.9 percent of the total sales of the food industry; the top ten dairy producers generated 54.7 percent of the total revenue of the dairy industry; the top ten soft-drink producers generated 39.5 percent of the total output of that industry; the top ten sugar makers produced 43.6 percent of the total output of the sugar industry; the top 50 meat producers accounted for 70 percent of that industry in terms of production capacity and sales; the eight beer brewery groups, each with a production capacity of over one million kl, produced 57 percent of the national beer output; the ten largest wineries produced 62.1 percent of the national output; and the three largest instant noodle producers occupied 76 percent of the Chinese market.

        2. The Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products Is Steadily Improving

        (1) Fast Growth of High-quality and Safe Brands

        Quality agricultural products are steadily expanding their market. Agricultural standardization has been notably enhanced, which increases farmers' income and changes their farming patterns. Hazard-free, green and organic products make up 90 percent of all agricultural-product exports. Over the past five years, the export of green food has shot up 40 percent annually, and has been accepted by over 40 of China's trading partners. So far, China has developed 28,600 kinds of hazard-free agricultural products, and set up 24,600 hazard-free production bases with a total area of 21.07 million hectares. Five thousand three hundred and fifteen Chinese enterprises use the green food logo on their 14,339 kinds of products totaling 72 million tons and grown on 10 million hectares of land. In addition, 600 producers use the organic food logo on their 2,647 kinds of products totaling 19.56 million tons and grown on 3.11 million hectares of land. Altogether, there are 539 state-level agricultural demonstration zones, 100 demonstration counties (farms) and nearly 3,500 provincial-level demonstration zones, with a combined growing area exceeding 33.33 million hectares.

        (2) Acceptance Rate of Agricultural Products Rising Continuously

        Inspections in the first half of 2007 showed that the average acceptance rate regarding pesticide residues in vegetables was 93.6 percent; those regarding clenbuterol hydrochloride contamination and sulfa drug residues in livestock products was 98.8 percent and 99.0 percent respectively; and that regarding chloromycetin in aquatic products was 99.6 percent, of nitrofuran 91.4 percent, and of pesticide residue over 95 percent in sample surveys done at production bases.

        3. The Quality of Imported and Exported Foodstuffs Stays High

        China is a large importer and exporter of foodstuffs, with the amount of each growing steadily in recent years. The import and export volume in 2006 totaled US$40.448 billion-worth (excluding wheat, corn and soybean, same below), up 21.45 percent year on year.

        (1) Safety of Export Food Guaranteed

        In 2006, China exported 24.173 million tons of food, worth US$26.659 billion, up 13.29 percent and 16.0 percent year on year, respectively. The top ten varieties in terms of export value were aquatic products, processed aquatic products, vegetables, canned food, juices and drinks, processed grain products, seasonings, poultry products, alcoholic beverages, and livestock meat and chopped entrails.

        Foodstuffs of the mainland of China have been exported to more than 200 countries and regions, of which the top ten in terms of trade volume are Japan, the US, the ROK, Hong Kong, Russia, Germany, Malaysia, Holland, Indonesia and the UK.

        For many years, over 99 percent of China's exported foodstuffs have been up to standard. In 2006 and the first half of 2007, China exported to the US some 94,000 batches and 55,000 batches of foodstuffs, respectively, and 752 batches and 477 batches of each were found by the US to be substandard, making the acceptance rate99.2 percent and 99.1 percent, respectively. In the case of the EU, the figures were 91,000 batches and 62,000 batches, with 91 batches and 135 batches found by the EU to be substandard, making the acceptance rate 99.9 percent and 99.8 percent, respectively. On July 20, 2007, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan, the largest importer of Chinese food, released an examination report on food imported from China in 2006, which showed that Japan conducted more sample surveys on Chinese food (15.7 percent) than on food from anywhere else, but Chinese food had the highest acceptance rate (99.42 percent), followed by that imported from the EU (99.38 percent) and the US (98.69 percent). The mainland of China is a major supplier of food for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Two large food sample surveys conducted by Hong Kong's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department in the first half of 2007 showed that the acceptance rate stood at99.2 percent and 99.6 percent, respectively.

        (2) Quality of Imported Food Stable

        In 2006, China imported 20.273 million tons of food, worth US$13.396 billion, up 37.94 percent and 25.11 percent year on year, respectively. The top ten varieties in terms of import value were vegetable oil, aquatic products, cereals, sugar, dairy products, alcoholic beverages, tobacco and associated products, poultry and chopped entrails, oil crops, and processed grain products.

        China imports foodstuffs from 143 countries and regions, and the top ten in terms of trade value are Malaysia, Russia, the US, Indonesia, Argentina, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and France.

        For many years, the quality of food China imports has been fairly stable, and no serious hazard has been caused by imported food. During the period from 2004 to the first half of 2007, the acceptance rate of imported food, according to statistics released by the ports of entry, were 99.29 percent (2004), 99.46 percent (2005), 99.11 percent (2006) and 99.29 percent (first half of 2007), respectively.  

        II. Food Safety Regulatory System and Work

        To ensure food safety, the Chinese government adheres to the principle of giving priority to prevention and control at its root by monitoring and controlling the whole process, and has formed a regulatory format in which the local governments take the responsibility, related departments provide guidance and conduct coordination, and different sectors make concerted efforts under the unified national leadership. In response to the circumstances in China, the State Council issued the Decision on Further Strengthening Food Safety Supervision in 2004, according to which one monitoring link is supervised by one department; sectional supervision is adopted as the main means while supervision of different varieties as the supplementary means, making clearer the functions and responsibilities of the food safety supervisory departments. The Decision divided food safety supervision into four links, managed by the departments of agriculture, quality supervision and inspection, industry and commerce, and health, respectively. The production of primary agricultural products is supervised by the agriculture department, the quality and daily hygiene supervision of food processing is overseen by the quality supervision and inspection department, supervision of food circulation and distribution is done by the department of industry and commerce, and that of the catering industry and canteens is taken care of by the health department. The integrated food-safety supervision and coordination, and investigation of and penalties imposed for major incidents in this regard are the responsibility of the department of food and drug administration, while imported and exported agricultural products and other foodstuffs are supervised by the quality supervision and inspection department. In this way, there is a strict, complete regulatory system for food safety supervision in which the departments concerned work in close cooperation, with clearly defined functions and responsibilities.

        As it is a prolonged and arduous task to strengthen food safety control, a regulatory system and a lasting efficiency mechanism should be established and improved, and planned with consideration given to both present and future needs to deal with both the symptoms and root causes of food safety problems, especially the latter.

        The Chinese government stresses food safety from the source, improvement of the related basic regulatory systems, and strengthening of food safety supervision.

        1. Intensifying Supervision on the Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products

        In 2001, China started to implement the Hazard-free Food Action Plan, focusing on the control of residue of high-toxic pesticides in vegetables and clenbuterol hydrochloride contamination in livestock products, to address the most concerned problems of illegal use of high-toxic pesticide and veterinary medicines, as well as violations of residue standards. The Plan stipulates a complete supervisory process from farmland to market by emphasizing the three key aspects of materials used in farming, production and market excess. By carrying out regular monitoring and inspection, the Plan aims at enhancing people's awareness of food quality and safety, ensuring management responsibility, and improving the levels of management and quality and safety of agricultural products by means of standardization. Today, the system for securing the quality and safety of agricultural products is improving, with steadily strengthened supervisory capacity and notable progress in agricultural standardization, leading to the formation of a work mechanism integrating service, management, supervision, penalty and emergency response, to ensure the quality and safety of agricultural products.

        2. Establishing and Strictly Implementing Market Access Systems for Food Quality and Safety

        The food quality and safety market access systems established by the Chinese government in 2001 comprise three major ones. One, the production license system, which requires that food-processing enterprises cannot produce and market their products without having the capability to control the source materials' quality, and the adequate conditions to ensure food quality and safety in terms of production equipment, technological flow, product standardization, testing equipment and capability, environment, quality control, storage and transportation, packaging and labeling, and production staff. Enterprises can produce and sell food only after obtaining a food production license. Two, the compulsory inspection system, which means that enterprises have the legal obligation to ensure that their food products pass quality inspection before entering the market. Three, the market access labeling system, i.e., enterprises are required to put on food products the QS label, guaranteeing their quality and safety. Following the principle of phased implementation, by the end of June 2007, some 107,000 food production licenses had been issued to enterprises, which took up over 90 percent of the market of their trades. Meanwhile, supervision has been strengthened over enterprises with food production licenses. By the end of June 2007,1,276 food production licenses had been withdrawn, cancelled, revoked or nullified for substandard food products.

        In pace with the growing number of enterprises obtaining the license, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine has released lists of such enterprises, making clear that producers without the license and products without the QS label must not enter the market, and warning consumers not to use such products.

        3. Intensifying State Supervision by Sample Survey for Food Quality

        The Chinese government carries out a food supervision and inspection system mainly by means of sample survey. Since it was set up in 1985, the system has been strengthened and become more focused to enhance its efficiency. In recent years, daily-consumption food items, such as dairy products, meat products, tea, beverages, grain and edible oil, have become the major targets of sample surveys, especially those produced in workshops and enterprises located in concentrated food-producing areas. Special attention has been given to the hygienic indices of microorganisms, additives and heavy metals in food, and to follow-up inspections of small enterprises with unstable product quality. By increasing sample survey frequency and coverage, the goal of rectifying producers of the same type of food by means of sample survey has been by and large met. The state supervisory sample surveys were carried out on 11,104 batches of foodstuffs produced by 7,880 enterprises from 2006 to June 2007. Meanwhile, greater efforts have been made to rectify and punish enterprises turning out substandard products, and to set things straight by means of the following: First, strictly implementing the public announcement system. Three hundred and fifty-five batches of food with serious quality problems produced by 355 enterprises were found in sample surveys and publicly announced. At the same time, publicity is given to good enterprises, quality products and sound brands. Two hundred and forty products winning the title of "Famous Chinese Brand" and 548 freed-from-inspection products have become popular among consumers. Second, strictly carrying out the rectification system. Enterprises with substandard products are urged to rectify themselves strictly, to be examined again in due course. If problems persist, they will be ordered to stop production for an overhaul. If they still cannot pass the inspection after the overhaul, their business licenses will be revoked. Third, strictly implementing the penalty system. Producers who mix impurities or imitations with their products, or pass fake or defective products off as genuine ones will be ordered to stop production, and their products be confiscated. Legal liabilities will be imposed in serious cases by the judicial organs.

        4. Intensifying Rectification of Food Workshops

        Regional differences and disparities between urban and rural areas in China make the supervision of food workshops a prolonged and arduous task. At present, food workshops with fewer than ten employees are the ones that pose the most difficult problem for ensuring food quality and safety. For workshops engaged in traditional, low-risk food processing, the government sticks to the principle of supervision and standardization while giving guidance to such workshops for consumers' convenience. On the one hand, the government has tried to upgrade them to the market-access requirements by means of shutdown, stoppage of production, merging or changing line of business; on the other, more stringent supervisory measures have been taken to prevent food safety accidents. In recent years, supervision of workshops and small enterprises has been conducted mainly in four aspects: One, transformation of basic work conditions. Workshops cannot start production without meeting the requirements. Two, restrictions on market scope. Food products processed by such small workshops are not allowed to sell outside the administrative areas of townships or towns in which they are located, not allowed to enter shopping centers and supermarkets. Three, restrictions on food packaging. Before obtaining a market access permit, food products from the workshops are not allowed to have marketing package, so that they cannot enter the market disguised as licensed goods. Four, public undertaking. Food workshops must undertake to the public that they do not use any non-food materials, misuse additives, use recycled food, send their products to shopping centers or supermarkets, or market their products beyond the approved region, and guarantee that their food products meet the basic safety and hygienic standards. After such rectifications, the average acceptance rate in sample surveys of food workshops rose to 70.4 percent in 2006. By the end of June 2007, 5,631 workshops had been closed down, 8,814 had been made to suspend production, and 5,385 had reached the requirements after rectification.

        5. Promoting the Responsibility System for Regional Food Safety Control

        The responsibility system for regional food safety control mainly comprises the following aspects. First, to have specified persons responsible for specified regions and enterprises. The system requires that food safety inspectors of the quality supervision and inspection department go to the townships to supervise the food-processing enterprises; township government coordinators assist the inspectors in supervising food quality and safety; and local reporters bring to attention anything illegal regarding food quality and safety. The number of inspectors, coordinators and local reporters must be fixed, their duties defined, and their working areas and inspecting enterprises designated. Second, the system requires "three enters" and "four graphs." The former refers to entering villages, households and enterprises to find out their working conditions and set up files of food producers and processors; the latter refers to drawing up a graph showing dynamic changes in enterprises, a graph showing the distribution of food producers and processors, a graph showing the implementation of supervisory duties, and a graph giving food safety precautions, so as to carry out proactive monitoring and control. Third, the system requires local governments to sign documents of responsibility, enterprises to sign letters of undertaking, and quality supervision and inspection departments to submit regular food safety reports.

        By the end of June 2007, a total of 16,030 food-safety supervision regions had been set up, 25,346 full-time food-safety inspectors had been put to work, 72,474 local government coordinators had been appointed, and 106,573 food-safety reporters had been recruited in 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government. In 2006, the quality supervision and inspection departments at various levels made 900,000 inspections of food producing and processing enterprises.

        6. Stepping up Supervision of the Food Circulation Sector

        The "Three Green Projects" have been vigorously promoted in China, advocating "green consumption, green markets and green channels." The government encourages modern modes of organization and management for circulation, positively supports the development of chain management and logistics provision; urges marketing enterprises to examine materials before accepting them, check business licenses, require invoices for purchases, keep accounts of transactions and honor their undertakings for food quality, as well as promotes market managers' food quality responsibility system; implements market inspection system in an all-around way; improves the food quality monitoring system, and strictly implements the system that substandard food must be withdrawn from the market and destroyed and made known to the public; strengthens administration over butchering of livestock and fowls, breaks down regional barriers and encourages the nationwide circulation of high-quality foodstuffs with good credit standing and prestigious brand names; improves food processing, circulation and service systems in communities; strengthens the management of the use of genuine food safety labels and standard packaging, and concentrates efforts to crack down on printing of fake packaging, labels and trademarks.

        7. Intensifying Supervision of Food Safety in Catering Industry

        Hygiene in the catering industry is vital for food safety. In this regard, the Chinese government has primarily done the following: One, it has intensified supervision on hygiene in the catering industry, promulgated and put into effect the Hygienic Standards for the Catering Industry and Group Food Service Providers, adopted a quantified and classified supervisory system for food hygiene management, and strengthened supervision on each link of the catering industry. Two, it has urged the catering industry and canteens to implement the quantified and classified supervisory system for food hygiene management in an all-around way, improved and strengthened monitoring of food contamination and building of a monitoring system on diseases caused by contaminated food. Three, it has intensified crackdown on activities in violation of food safety law, investigated and dealt with serious cases and timely made them known to the public. In 2006, the health departments inspected 2.04 million catering entities of various types and school canteens, dealt with 45,000 cases of illegal food processing and sale and closed down 25,000 food processors and sellers that had been operating without hygiene permits. Four, it has strengthened efforts on hygienic work in schools, directed and carried out special inspections on food and drinking water hygiene, and prevention and treatment of contagious diseases in schools all over the country, as well as prevention of food poisoning and the spread of communicable intestinal diseases. Five, it has conducted food-related jeopardy assessment and issued early warnings for food safety problems on a scientific basis and provided food assessment information.

        8. Carrying out Rectification in Respect of Food Quality and Safety in an All-around Way

        In order to crack down on the spread of counterfeit and shoddy foodstuffs in certain regions, special comprehensive rectification campaigns were launched in these regions for food quality and safety. The Chinese government has conducted a special project involving hundreds of regions, thousands of townships and tens of thousands of food producers and processors. Targeting key regions, food processing venues and households and their products, the project has resolved the regional problem of producing and selling fake and inferior goods by establishing a food safety monitoring network, stepping up efforts in building up the technological forces such as standardization and monitoring technology, improving technical services for enterprises, promoting the setting up of food industry associations, and intensifying law enforcement and making more stringent efforts to crack down on the production and sale of counterfeit and faulty food. Meanwhile, the departments of industry and commerce as well as quality supervision and inspection keep intensifying law enforcement and, with focus on food quality and safety, direct and conduct special law enforcement actions against activities in producing and processing counterfeit food-related items at the source, strictly crack down on illegal activities such as production of food with non-food materials and misuse of additives in food, as well as food producers with neither a business license nor food-processing permit. In 2006, the quality supervision and inspection departments handled 49,000 illegal operations in this field, confiscating counterfeit and shoddy foodstuffs worth 450 million yuan. In the same year, the departments of industry and commerce sent 5.6 million person/times for law enforcement and inspected 16,000 key food markets and 10.4 million food operating business/times, closed down 151,800 unlicensed businesses, revoked4,629 business licenses, investigated and dealt with 68,000 cases of production and sale of counterfeit and shoddy food, of which 48cases were referred to the relevant judicial organs, and ordered 15,500 tons of substandard foodstuffs off the market.

        9. Beefing up the Construction of a Risk-warning and Emergency-response System

        The Chinese government has established a nationwide quick risk warning and responding system in respect of food safety, actively conducted risk monitoring and control in food production, processing, circulation and consumption, and preliminarily realized the early discovery, early warning, early control and early treatment of food-safety problems through efficient collection and analysis of information on food safety. It has also established a rapid and efficient response mechanism covering the collection and analysis of risk-related information, issuing warnings and rapid responses so that it is possible to provide prompt reports, take swift action, make accurate judgment and mete out appropriate measures.

        10. Establishing and Improving a Food Recall System

        This system comprises two aspects: active recall and instructed recall. The system stipulates that it is the responsibility of food producing and processing enterprises to recall their products if necessary, requires that food producers should instantly put a halt to the production and selling of their products if they suspect any safety risk in their food products, and take the initiative to recall such food products. Producers who purposely conceal food hazards or do not perform their recall obligations, or whose faulty production has extended such hazards or made them recur, will be instructed to recall their products. In recent years, in conducting food sample surveys and law enforcement, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine has become more stringent in demanding food recall when major food-safety hazards, such as pathogenic bacteria, chemical pollutant or non-food materials, are found in food products. Toward those food producing enterprises causing serious consequences, the Administration has revoked their licenses, thus reducing hazards that might be caused by unsafe food and safeguarding the health and safety of consumers.

        11. Improving the Food Safety Credit System

        The Chinese government pays great attention to the construction of the credit system for food safety, and has set up the preliminary credit records for food-producing enterprises, as well as a system to publicize the honor rolls and blacklists of food producers and processors.

        Meanwhile, the functions of chambers of commerce and trade associations have been brought into full play to promote self-discipline in the food industry. By giving backing to excellent and competent enterprises, the government supports and helps good and strong enterprises by legislative, administrative and economic means to create an honest environment for food safety, and to enhance people's awareness of honesty in this regard. It has made great efforts in gradual improvement of this mechanism for food safety, and given full scope to its role in regulating, guiding and supervising food safety. It has built up files of credit records of food safety and promoted classified credit monitoring in the food industry. Emphasis is laid on the establishment of a registration and information system and a classified database of credit records of food producers and sellers, which collects information on food producers' and sellers' market access, food-safety control, and consumers' complaints and reports, to ensure an effective control based on adequate information. In recent years, the latest network technology has been used for this purpose, so that consumers may timely, easily, quickly and effectively distinguish counterfeits from genuine ones, which greatly helps safeguard consumers' interests, discourages the production and sale of fake foodstuffs and promotes honesty among enterprises in this industry.

        Over the years, the continuous growth of the food industry in terms of variety and quantity as well as the improvement of quality have helped satisfy the people's ever-increasing consumption demands, raised their living standard and promoted national economic development. However, the Chinese government is well aware that there are still problems with food safety, owing to the country's limited socio-economic development. In the days to come, penalties will be focused on those who produce shoddy products or products containing inferior materials or impurities, palm off counterfeits as genuine ones, process foodstuff with non-food or moldy materials, produce foodstuff in disregard of required standards and misuse additives in foodstuff, so as to continuously guarantee food safety and quality.

        III. Supervision of Imported and Exported Food

        1. Supervision of Imported Food

        Exploration and practice over the years have enabled China to set up a complete framework of food quality and safety supervisory system and guarantee measures to ensure the safety of imported food.

        -- Scientific risk management system. According to the WTO Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS) and common international practice, the Chinese government adopts an inspection and quarantine entry system based on risk management for high-risk imported food, such as meat and vegetable, which includes: making a risk analysis on the high-risk food that the exporting country applies to export to China; signing an inspection and quarantine agreement with the exporting country on food involving acceptable risks; carrying out hygiene registration for foreign food enterprises; and quarantining, examining and approving the imported food of animal and plant origin. If epidemic animal or plant diseases or severe food safety problems occur in the exporting country, China shall take timely risk management measures, including suspending food imports from that country.

        -- Strict inspection and quarantine system. When imported food arrives at the port of entry, the entry-exit inspection and quarantine authorities carry out inspection and quarantine in accordance with law, and approve the foodstuffs to be imported only if they meet the required standards; and the customs house clears the imported food upon the strength of the Customs Clearance List of Inward/Outward Goods as issued by the entry-exit inspection and quarantine authorities. Only then can the food be sold in the Chinese market. If safety or hygienic problems are found in the food when inspected and quarantined, corresponding measures are immediately taken. In 2006, Chinese entry-exit inspection and quarantine authorities altogether found 2,458 batches of foodstuffs not meeting the standards at ports of entry. In the first half of 2007, some 896 were found, which were returned, destroyed or used in other ways according to law. Thus is the safety of food imported for the Chinese market assured.

        -- Complete quality and safety supervisory system. While carrying out inspection and quarantine in accordance with law, the entry-exit inspection and quarantine authorities pay special attention to higher-risk food and problematic foodstuffs as found in the inspection and quarantine at the ports of entry. The authorities promptly issue early warnings of risks when finding imported food with serious problems or the same type of imported food with repeated problems, and take such measures as increasing the proportion of sample survey, adding more items for inspection, and suspending import.

        -- Strict system against illegal import. The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and the General Administration of Customs have set up a cooperation mechanism to jointly fight illegal food imports. In 2006, China signed with the European Union Commission the Arrangement for Cooperation on Joint Prevention of Illegal Actions in the Import and Export of Food, making it clear that the two sides will crack down on such illegal activities as deception, undeclared carrying, illegal transit and smuggling through exchanges of information, technological cooperation, mutual visits of experts and special joint actions. In 2006 and the first half of 2007, 12,292 tons of illegally imported meat were seized.

    　　2. Supervision of Exported Food

        Following the principle of "prevention first, supervision at the source, and control throughout the process," the Chinese government has set up and improved an export-food safety management framework composed of "one pattern and ten systems."

        "One pattern" refers to the managerial pattern for the production of export food -- "enterprise + base + standardization." This pattern conforms to China's reality and the actual situation in the field of export food, and thus is an important guarantee for the quality of such food. Besides, it is the only way for enterprises to aim for scale and intensive development in the international market. With unremitting efforts over many years, China has basically put this pattern in place for major export food items, especially high-risk foodstuffs such as meat, aquatic products and vegetable.

        The "ten systems" are: three for supervision at the source -- the archiving management system for the inspection and quarantine of planting and breeding bases, the epidemic disease monitoring system, and the supervisory system for pesticide and veterinary medicine residue; three for factory supervision -- the hygiene registration system, the classified management system for enterprises, and the resident quarantine official system for large enterprises producing high-risk food for export; three for product supervision -- the legal inspection and quarantine system for export food, the system of quality tracing and substandard products recalling, and the early risk warning and quick response system; and one for credit building -- a red list and a blacklist for food export enterprises.

        -- Strengthening supervision of planting and breeding at the source. To effectively control the risks of animal epidemics, plant diseases and pesticide and veterinary medicine residue, and guarantee food quality and safety and traceability at the source, the entry-exit inspection and quarantine authorities adopt the archiving management system for the inspection and quarantine of export food material bases with such risks. Only the raw materials of planting and breeding bases with archiving approval can be used in processed export food, and all the raw material bases with archiving approval are publicized on the website of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. So far, 6,031 breeding farms and 380,000 hectares of planting bases have obtained such approval. For these bases, the relevant agencies strengthen supervision, prevention and control of epidemic diseases, exercise tight management of agricultural input materials, and enforce a strict supervision system over pesticide and veterinary medicine residue, so that these problems are brought under effective control. In recent years, bird flu has been found in many places around the world, but none at the bases under archiving management in China.

        -- Strengthening supervision of food producing enterprises. China has adopted a hygiene registration system for all enterprises producing export food, and an enterprise has to be granted such registration before engaging in the production of export food. So far, 12,714 enterprises have been registered, among which 3,698 have passed the HACCP certification of the entry-exit inspection and quarantine authorities. The local entry-exit inspection and quarantine authorities carry out routine supervision and administration of the registered food producing and processing enterprises in a unified way to ensure that the raw materials come from archived planting and breeding bases, and that the production and processing meet the required standards. As regards large enterprises producing or processing high-risk export food such as meat, the entry-exit inspection and quarantine authorities send resident officials to supervise them when needed. The packaging of export food should be labeled with traceable signs according to requirements, so as to ensure the traceability of the products and recall of substandard products.

        -- Strengthening inspection and quarantine before the food is exported. As prescribed by Chinese laws, all food should meet the standards set by the inspection and quarantine authorities before being exported, and the customs houses at the ports of exit should clear the export food upon the strength of the Customs Clearance List of Outward Goods issued by the entry-exit inspection and quarantine authorities. If it is demanded by the importing country, the relevant entry-exit inspection and quarantine authorities should issue a hygiene certificate to prove that the food meets the required standards, and enter on the certificate the name, address, number of hygiene registration of the producing enterprise, date of production, date of export, loading port and destination port. When the goods arrive at the port of exit, the inspection and quarantine authorities at the port should examine the goods again, making sure they are intact and conform to the information on the certificate. All these measures guarantee the traceability of the food.

        -- Strengthening the construction of the export enterprise credit system. An export enterprise quality undertaking system and a red list and blacklist system for export enterprises are implemented in a comprehensive way, and efforts are being made to increase the awareness of the persons primarily responsible for product quality and help enterprises to form a mechanism of self-management, self-discipline and consciousness of operation in good faith. Included on the List of Sound Enterprises are those with a complete and effective control system, good faith, effective control over safety risks, and a good reputation in the importing countries. Such enterprises are granted favorable policy treatment. Enterprises with serious quality problems as reported by the importing countries or regions, or which have avoided inspection and quarantine or cheated the inspection and quarantine authorities are punished in accordance with the law and included in the List of Unlawful Enterprises and publicized on the Internet so as to enhance the self-disciplinary awareness of enterprises producing export food. So far, 55 enterprises have been put on the list.

        Over the years, the departments of quality supervision and inspection, trade, customs, industry and commerce, and taxation have worked closely to promote the quality and safety level of food exported from China and satisfy numerous Chinese and foreign customers with high-quality, delicious and inexpensive foodstuffs. Yet, there are still a tiny number of enterprises that disregard the law, regulations and standards of China and importing countries and, by deception or fraud, avoid supervision by the inspection and quarantine authorities, or export food by improper channels. Consequently, some adulterated, counterfeit or shoddy foodstuffs have found their way from China into foreign markets. The Chinese government is determined to step up the fight against such activities and prevent substandard foodstuffs from going overseas.

        IV. Law Regime and Technological Guarantee System for Food Safety

        1.Food Safety Law Regime Gradually Improved

        China now has a complete law regime providing a sound foundation and good environment for guaranteeing food safety, improving food quality and regulating food imports and exports.

        The specific laws in this regard include the Product Quality Law, Standardization Law, Metrology Law, Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests, Law on the Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products, Criminal Law, Food Hygiene Law, Law on Import and Export Commodity Inspection, Law on Animal and Plant Entry and Exit Quarantine, Frontier Health and Quarantine Law and Law on Animal Disease Prevention.

        The specific administrative regulations in this regard include the Special Regulations of the State Council on Strengthening Safety Supervision and Administration of Food and Other Products, Regulations of the People's Republic of China on the Administration of Production Licenses for Industrial Products, Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Certification and Accreditation, Regulations for the Implementation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Import and Export Commodity Inspection, Regulations for the Implementation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Animal and Plant Entry and Exit Quarantine, Administrative Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Veterinary Medicine, Administrative Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Pesticides, Regulations for the Implementation of the Standardization Law of the People's Republic of China, Measures for Investigating, Punishing and Banning Unlicensed Business Operations, Regulations on the Administration of Feedstuffs and Feed Additives, Administrative Regulations on the Safety of Genetically Modified Agricultural Organisms and Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Import and Export of Endangered Wild Fauna and Flora.

        The specific departmental rules include the Detailed Rules for the Implementation of the Measures for the Administration of the Supervision of Quality and Safety of Food of Food Producing and Processing Enterprises (Trial), Measures for the Implementation of the Regulations of the People's Republic of China for the Administration of Production Licenses for Industrial Products, Measures for the Hygiene Administration of Food Additives, Measures for the Administration of Inspection and Quarantine of Entry and Exit Meat Products, Measures for the Administration of Inspection and Quarantine of Entry and Exit of Aquatic Products, Measures for the Administration of Food Safety in the Circulation Sector, Measures for the Administration of the Safety of Places of Origin of Agricultural Products, Measures for the Administration of the Packaging and Marks of Agricultural Products and Regulations for the Administration of Hygiene Registration of Export Food Production Enterprises.

        2.Construction of Food Quality and Safety Standard System Gradually Strengthened

        The Standardization Administration of the People's Republic of China administers the country's food standardization work, while relevant departments under the State Council are in charge of specific food standardization work in respective sectors. The departments concerned are responsible for drafting different national standards for food safety, while the Standardization Administration initiates projects, examines them, marks the serial numbers, gives formal approval and promulgates them. Now, a food quality and safety standard system covering all categories, featuring a relatively rational structure and being fairly complete, has taken initial shape in China. Food safety standards cover the place of origin of agricultural products, quality of irrigation water, rules for the rational use of materials put into agriculture, rules and procedures for animal and plant quarantine, good agricultural practices (GAP), standards of maximum amount of pesticides, veterinary drugs, pollutants and spoilage organisms allowed in food, standards for food additives and their use, hygiene standards for food packaging materials, standards for special dietary food, standards for signs or labels on food packages, standards for the management and control of the safe production of food and standards for testing methods concerning food. These standards apply to edible agricultural products and processed food, such as grain, oil, fruit and vegetable, milk and dairy products, meat, poultry, eggs and related products, aquatic products, soft and alcoholic drinks, condiments and infant food; and cover each sector from food production, processing and distribution to final consumption. So far, China has promulgated over 1,800 national standards concerning food safety, and over 2,900 standards for the food industry, among which 634 national standards are compulsory.

        To solve such problems as food safety standards overlapping each other and poorly organized, China has sorted out the over 1,800 national standards, over 2,500 industrial standards, over 7,000 local standards and over 140,000 enterprise standards, repealing more than 530 national and industrial standards. Meanwhile, it has speeded up the revision of over 2,460 national and industrial standards, issued over 200 new national standards, and worked out plans to enact over 280 national standards. It also works hard to promote and enforce these standards, and urges food producing enterprises to strictly abide by them.

        3.Food Certification and Accreditation System Basically Established

        The Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People's Republic of China is responsible for administering, supervising and coordinating certification and accreditation work throughout the country, putting in order the certification market and regulating certification activities. A pattern of uniform administration, standardized operation and common implementation for the certification and accreditation of food and agricultural products has come into being, basically establishing a certification and accreditation system covering the entire process "from the farming field to dining table." The certification categories include certification of feeds, GAP certification, certification of hazard-free agricultural products, certification of organic products, certification of food quality, certification of the HACCP management system, and certification of green markets. At present, China ranks among the top ten countries in the world in this regard, with 2.03 million hectares producing certificated organic products. The country has been experimenting with GAP certification geared to international standards in 286 export enterprises and agricultural standardization demonstration bases in 18 pilot provinces; 2,675 food producing enterprises have received HACCP certificates; 28,600 primary agricultural products have passed the certification tests for hazard-free agricultural products; and continuous progress is being made in the certification of feeds, alcoholic beverages by quality grade, and green markets. The government continuously strengthens its supervision of certificated products and enterprises, and increases the authoritativeness and effectiveness of certification.

        4.Food Safety Inspection and Testing Framework Taken Initial Shape

        Regarding the supervision of foodstuffs for the domestic market, China has established a number of qualified food inspection and testing institutions, bringing into initial being a food safety inspection and testing framework with "state-level inspection institutions playing the leading role, provincial- and ministerial-level food inspection institutions forming the main body, and city- and county-level food inspection institutions acting as supplement." With the improvement of their testing capability and level, these institutions can satisfy the demands for quality and safety tests throughout the entire process – from the environment of place of origin, input materials, production and processing, storage and circulation to consumption, and can basically meet the requirements of national, industrial and relevant international standards for food safety parameters. China adopts the certification management that is in line with the international practice for food laboratories, and strengthens international mutual recognition, information sharing and joint tackling of key scientific and technological problems, ensuring the accuracy and fairness of test results. China has accredited the qualifications of some food inspection and testing institutions. Altogether, 3,913 food testing laboratories have passed the laboratory accreditation (similar to metrology certification) of China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS) among which 48 are state-level quality inspection centers for foodstuffs and 35 are key food laboratories. The testing capability and level of these laboratories have reached a relatively advanced international standard. As regards the supervision of import and export foodstuffs, a technical support system ensuring food safety has taken shape, with the 35 state-level key laboratories playing the leading role. There are 163 inspection and quarantine laboratories for import and export foodstuffs throughout China, possessing more than 10,000 sets of large precision instruments of various types. Altogether, 1,189 professionals are directly engaged in the laboratory testing of import and export foodstuffs in these laboratories, with a rational age structure and allocation of staff according to their specialized fields. These laboratories can detect all kinds of food-borne pathogens and 786 safety or hygienic items, such as residue of pesticides and veterinary medicines, additives and heavy metals. By 2006, China had set up 323 state- and ministerial-level quality inspection centers and 1,780 provincial-, prefecture- and county-level testing institutions concerned with agricultural products. Thus, a quality and safety inspection and testing framework for agricultural products, with these institutions at different levels supplementing each other, has taken shape, providing technical support for strengthening the supervision of the quality and safety of agricultural products.

        V. International Exchanges and Cooperation Regarding Food Safety

        The Chinese government sets great store by cooperating with other countries, regions and international organizations regarding food safety, as well as by learning advanced management expertise and monitoring technology, to improve the overall quality of its foodstuffs.

        1. Strengthening Exchanges and Cooperation Regarding Food Safety Technology

        China encourages and supports its technical experts to participate in various food safety technological training programs, seminars, exchanges and comparative reviews. It also welcomes overseas experts to visit China for study or training. Besides the activities organized by the World Health Organization (WHO), China has, since 2001, conducted many rounds of technological training and exchanges on food safety, especially the implementation of the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS), with the US, the EU, Italy, Canada, Germany, the UK, Switzerland, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand and Thailand. In August 2006, China sponsored food safety training for people from 14 South Pacific countries. To furnish itself with timely information to ensure the foodstuffs it exports are up to the relevant standards, China has translated the laws on food safety and hygiene of the US, the EU, Russia, the ROK and other countries and regions. It has also invited experts from the US, the EU and Japan to offer training on HACCP application, the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP), residue control and Positive List System. China's laboratories for import and export food inspection and quarantine have taken part in several comparative experiments, such as the Food Analysis Performance Assessment Scheme (FAPAS) of the UK, and joined on regular intervals the international proficiency testing conducted by established certification agencies, such as the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) and the Australia's National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA). The national center for disease control and prevention and a dozen provincial ones have passed the WHO food safety inspection capacity verifications. By November 2006, a total of 22 inspection agencies had been granted by the ROK to be "Acknowledged Overseas Official Inspection Agencies," which means that the food items that pass their checks will be free from entry inspection i