The most recent food safety scare in China involving Heinz gas become the key concern for international and local firms. They are trying to figure out the best options to keep track of the diverse ingredients used in China, where food supply tracing technologies are far from the norm.
Unfortunately, barcode tracking systems are not the norm in China as it is in most other developed countries. In a report earlier in the month from the Institute of Food Technologists, it states that China’s food traceability systems are poor. Generally, a food safety barcode includes information such as the farm of origin, dates of harvest, planting, storage and shipment, making it easier for clients to track particular batches and discover how and why any issue may occur.
After scandal after scandal, the Chinese populace have become highly sensitive to this topic. As a result of its soaring levels of soil and water pollution, China struggles to keep the pollution from their crops. A HSBC report in March showed that 7 out of the top 10 farming provinces around the country are most exposed to heavy metal pollution.
Furthermore, the food supply chain in China is still quite fragmented, due to the supply of materials coming from small-scale farms. Although China has tightened food safety rules, they do not have the man power to properly enforce them.
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