China to run a wide-ranging food safety week across the nation

The Chinese government has announced plans to conduct a full range of food safety activities at national and local levels across a whole “food safety promotion week” of fora, lectures and activities. The events, starting on 8 June, will be conducted under the theme “Advocating Thrift and Believing, Guarding Chinese Food under the Sunshine.”

The events will explore a variety of topics and approaches, with education and technology playing a central role in many initiatives. National level events include the 12th China Food Safety Forum, which will have a theme of "Advocating Thrift and Believing to Protect Chinese Food under the Sun" and will cover subjects such as "Cold Chain Food Safety", "Adolescent and Child Nutrition and Food Safety", "Food labeling reform prospects" and "Corporate Innovation and Collaborative Governance."

There will also be the 14th "Belt and Road" Ecological Agriculture and Food Safety Forum, the 2021 “China Chain Management Industry High-Quality Development Forum” and the Food Safety Digital Governance Forum.

A “food education” seminar will open up opportunities to discuss problems in food education and how to effectively connect food education and food safety and a "Food and Beverage Quality and Safety Improvement Action Plan" promotion meeting will also take place. Child nutrition and food safety will be the subject of the exchange meeting “National Children's Food Safety and Health Protection Action” and a food safety training camp for journalists is also on the cards.

Government departments are given guidance on food safety topics relevant to their areas of concern. In particular, the China Association for Science and Technology is encouraged to promote activities on "Food Safety and Nutrition for College Students in China" and engage at a local level where the "Knowing and Food" series of science lectures will help raise awareness among students and, indeed, colleges and universities are also encouraged to hold "Food and Fun" summer camps, “with a lively and interesting interactive experience.”

“Food safety is related to the health and life safety of the people and the future of the Chinese nation” the government announcement states, and this celebratory week is designed to put an emphasis on nutritious diet, “rational” consumption, the reduction of food waste and the sharing of food safety achievements.