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Committee Member Lei Jufang: “Food safety on the tip of the tongue” must start with science popularization.
Release time:
2014-03-18 15:40
Lei Jufang, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Chairperson of Tibet Qizheng Tibetan Medicine Co., Ltd., stated that food products with both medicinal and dietary properties are not intended for therapeutic purposes. They do not require a doctor’s prescription, have no dosage restrictions for consumers, and can be freely consumed according to the body’s normal needs. Within the range of normal consumption, these products pose no toxic or adverse effects and are safe to eat. However, at present, some consumers, lacking the necessary expertise, do not know how to properly assess the quality and safety of such food products. As a result, they often blindly pursue products with bright and attractive appearances, prompting retailers to uncritically cater to consumer demand by eliminating products that are less visually appealing in terms of shape and color, and instead favoring those that are large, vividly colored, and aesthetically pleasing. Some farmers, in their pursuit of maximum economic benefits, also overlook potential safety issues during production, mistakenly or excessively using chemical fertilizers and pesticides and rushing their products onto the market before the pesticide residues have fully dissipated.
In light of this, Lei Jufang suggests stepping up public education on foods that serve both as medicine and food through mass media. At the government level, central media outlets and provincial television stations should issue regulations mandating the production and broadcast of a certain number of public-service programs each year to enhance consumer awareness. Additionally, commercial media—such as daily newspapers, evening papers, weekly magazines, and websites—should be encouraged to establish dedicated columns on this topic, providing consumers with educational content that helps them correctly understand the efficacy, appearance, and color of foods that serve both as medicine and food, thereby improving their ability to identify genuine products from counterfeit ones. The content of these publicity and reporting efforts should cover: the differences between health foods and ordinary foods; the distinctions between health foods and pharmaceuticals; how to spot counterfeit health foods; and detailed explanations of every stage—from cultivation and harvesting to storage, processing, and sales—of foods that serve both as medicine and food, including specific quality-control indicators and the exact standards that must be met to ensure safety and quality. By doing so, consumers will be guided to continuously enhance their self-protection awareness and sharpen their discernment skills.
Source: China Business News
Website: http://203.86.76.53/epaper/uniflows/html/2014/03/09/03/03_50.htm
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