Chinas Food Safety Problems - Case Study Example

China’s Food Safety Problems China’s Food Safety Problems Introduction Currently, food safety is becoming a great challenge in China. While the media s focusing on cases like poisoning from heavy metals or food additives, food safety entails several challenges from the production to the consumption stage. The risks of unsafe foods are variable and present different threat levels and kinds particularly to human health. Notably, the health risks are mainly viruses, parasites, bacteria, veterinary drugs and growth hormones. The paper entails a comprehensive analysis of food safety challenges in China and various responses to the same. Most importantly, it outlines the socio-cultural effects of such challenges and responses and gives inference to the contemporary China based on the problems. Its goal is to inform the development of an integrated problem solving agenda in China with maximum exploitation of the existing knowledge on the problem. The problem Rapid growth of China’s economy depicts significant rise in agricultural productivity characterized by alternating consumption patterns for the past 35 years. Notably, transformation in the production, distribution, and consumption has been evident in China (Lora-Wainwright, 2013 p.64). Nevertheless, partial to limited hunger elimination is imminent due to availability of a wide food range despite the malnutrition and food safety concerns. The problem is unregulated urbanization and industrialization intensifying agriculture with rapid extension of product sectors, prolonged supply chains, and increased food processing for consumption. Compromise in such a chain is inevitable. Moreover, the interaction of such a food chain with intense market pressures features significant social mistrust, incompetent governance and inefficient regulation in order to increase food safety levels. Regional diversity and uneven development points at the existence of several food systems in China. Such systems have differently intersecting and coexisting scales and production modes (Santos, 2011 p.487). In addition, complex interactions between varying causes of food safety challenges confers specific risk flows and constellations to different food industries and parts of the countries as well. Consumption patterns dependent on ethnicity, region, gender, age and socio-economic status equally affect the predisposition of specific populations to various risks. Therefore, the association between levels of risk, regional economic development and socio-economic status is complex (Lora-Wainwright, 2013 p.57). Despite the advantage of higher purchasing power for the wealthy Chinese, greater risks of consuming unsafe foods still exits to this class through complex and longer supply chains. On the other hand, poor citizens have minimal safe food systems. Further concerns of food safety arise from the use of unsafe chemicals in agriculture. The Chinese government is completely in control and prevention of inflation through limitation of farmers’ profits. Therefore, several farmers have inadequate capital for production. The financial implications of such shortage are severe to the point where farmers devise dubious production means. The use of unsafe chemicals to increase per acre yield is just but one of the risky agricultural practices. Interestingly, there is also unfortunate selfishness in the agriculture industry as farmers set aside small portions of land for individual consumption and do not use such chemicals for production on the same portions (Klein, 2014 p. 119). The agricultural sector is characteristics of frauds. High contamination in profitable plots is obvious in the Chinese’ agricultural sector. For instance, recently exploding watermelons due to unknown chemicals increased profits with additional health risks, as the chemical was unknown. There is wide water and soil contamination in China. The 2010 soil study showed 20% contamination of Chinese land. Regrettably, there are concerns that such a figure is only but an approximate as reality shows severe contamination above 20%. Variable pollution of cities’ groundwater stands at 90% while severe pollution of the same is 64% (Santos, 2011 p.497). The local citizens irrespective of economic status depend on bottled water. Tap water used in agriculture is markedly polluted. Nevertheless, faking of bottled water is on the rise adding pollution levels in the society. Responses The Chinese government has several policy initiatives that are addressing food safety problems. Some of the policies are new while others are under the mandate of existing policies governing environmental protection, agriculture and health. The policies stipulate modern standard of environmental production and limits the use of potentially harmful chemicals in food. Other policies improve traceability and accountability via up-chain linkages in the food supply chain (Lora-Wainwright, 2013 p.54). The China Food and Drug Administration are behind the aforementioned reforms. There is substantial investment necessary to implement the government policies. At the same time, there is evaluation of the different approaches of curbing food health risks (Klein, 2014 p. 117). However, collective improvement on safety of foods will take time and the different approaches are unlikely to elicit substantial results. Cross-cultural collaboration is significant in implementing all the government policies on food safety since most of the causes of unsafe foods overwhelm the agencies that should enforce safe food policies. Unfortunately, some of the policies are compromised especially in industrial restructuring causing persistence of unsafe foods for consumption. The responses from the Chinese citizens are variable depending on economic capabilities. Fortunately, most Chinese are aware of the existence of unsafe foods in the country. For instance, Beijing residents have shown remarkable responses to the problem. First there is patronage and proliferation of foreign import food stores. Consequently, there is stiff competition between fully stocked grocery food chains. Interestingly, Chinese patrons are taking over the foreign stores yet the products remain exclusively foreign. A queer response to the problem entails avoiding local and cheap restaurants. Chinese are increasingly adopting safe eating patterns that involve preferences and choice of eatingplaces. Poor quality food producers are incurring massive losses as the local population avoids such stores. Indeed, associated health risks of food poisoning and rising cancer levels are the main driving forces behind selective eating patterns now predominant in china. Home gardening is another response to the challenge. Any person who can afford space particularly in Beijing is resorting to balcony gardens for individual food production. This is a show of mistrust in the food market and failure of the government absolutely resolves the issue. As such personal initiative delineates citizen independence and in the midst of poorly coordinated agricultural system the national, regional, and local level. Social and Cultural Effects The Chinese food problems and responses to the same depict high levels of mistrust in the country. First, few elites in the country refutes ideas contaminated food existing in the market. Such elites claim that the media and other food activists are exaggerating the problem. In addition, individual initiatives to ensure personal safety shows lack of faith in government agencies to neutralize the challenge (Yang, 2013 p.342). In addition, preferences for safe foods as shown by selective purchase of foods from specific restaurants show further mistrust between local citizens and food producers. Unsafe foods are widening the socio-economic gap that is already big enough to pause significant threats to the Chinese economy. The gap between the public and elites is due to information asymmetry in the production, processing, distribution, and consumption of food. Simply put, discriminative knowledge of the food industry is favoring the rich Chines only. The poor continue to consume unhealthy foods, unknowingly, thereby facing serious health implications that come with additional financial implications. For instance, there is increased health care expenses and reliability on the elites that are definitely taking advantage of the situation. Most consumers depend on partially unreasonable and subjective information on food safety from media reports. This dependent on unreliable information sources is emotionally magnifying food safety scandal. Unsafe food production has significantly altered the china cuisine culture also known as the china food culture. China has been proud of its indigenous culture that has equally spread to other countries such as USA. However, a threat to the existing culture from unsafe foods is now imminent. While China cuisine was largely dependent on locally produced Chinese foods, mistrust for the same production systems are now increasing imports that confer different consumption patterns (Yang, 2013 p.349). The foods imported and perceived to be safe are not part of the china cuisine. In addition, compromise in the local food industry by food additives and chemical proliferation of foods is increasing unreliability in the food industry that can no longer sustain the china cuisine. Today, there is marked rise in consumption of genetically modified foods that have several health risks as well. Inference on the Contemporary Chinese Society To begin with, the existence of unsafe food threats pausing significant health risks with minimal government intervention shows a compromised leadership system. Despite being an economic hub to rapid industrialization, China lacks a regulatory capacity for conducting random systematic sampling of food products. For example, the dairy industry have less than ten people at the county level that regulate the system. The country, therefore, relies on bob-random sampling to identify food safety problems. Such sampling criterion is subjective and elicits false projections that cannot be used in discerning counteractive measures to the existing problem (Yan, 2012 p.718). Regrettably, the current society cannot rely on its government to effectively investigate and neutralize severe threats in the country. Furthermore, the food security and safety problems depicts negligence in the Chinese food management system. High inspection pass rate due to failure of government agencies to introduce many noxious substances that are necessary in order to adopt high threshold in inspection (Yang, 2013 p.346). Lower food safety standards gives room for social and economic vices such as corrupt food supply deals, compromised integrity of producers, mismanagement of public utilities for individual production and illegal infiltration of imports in the local market that only benefit few business persons. The whole food industry and system is a scam. Poor coordination is a characteristic of the contemporary china society. The multiple responses to food safety problem show the lack of a well-coordinated problem solving system in the country. The government has impractical policies or otherwise policies whose implementations could be unrealistic in neutralizing severe food safety threats. In addition, the government has no proper regulation of the economy. Controlling inflation begins with regulation of imports and not suppression of the citizens (Yan, 2012 p.718). The farmers are using poor production systems due to in adequate capital yet the government is not in control of imports that are flooding local markets. In the long term, the severity of the food safety challenge overwhelms the government leaving the Chinese society in chaos. On the other hand, response from individual citizens like establishment of home gardens for household consumption contributes more to the scandal. First, it depicts mistrust and lack of faith in the government to handle the problem (Assmann 2013 p.8). Second, it leads to seclusion and selfish practices such as unfair gains from the unfortunate situation. Private farmers are now selling safe foods at very high prices. Interestingly, the government does not seem to realize the economic implications of the chaos existing in the local food markets. Finally, duplication of products from the food industry and other industries is forthcoming in the Chinese society. Current practices such as illegal chemical proliferation of foods e.g. watermelons to attract higher profits and cheap importation of foods that are equally compromised to deceive the public are jut but a few examples (Yan, 2012 p.713). Additionally, lack of regulatory measures in all industries that led to production of hazardous products demeans production industry. Soon there will be great cut down on exports upon realization that most chines products are not completely genuine. Conclusion and recommendation Food safety problems include contamination by biological hazards such as parasites and microorganism, unsafe chemicals and metals. The health risks resulting from food poisoning are severe (Assmann 2013, p.7). The problem that is currently in China is due to poor food production systems and failure of the government and other relevant institution to enact effective policies that will neutralize the problem. Responses to the problems are also partially unrealistic and do not provide long-term solution. Summing up the deductions from the problem and responses mirrors the contemporary chines society as untrustworthy. Besides, the food safety problem is negatively affecting the China cuisine culture. Effective policies that regulate food production and imports together with stringent environmental laws, professionally implemented, should put an end to this food menace. References Assmann, Stephanie (2013) Reassessing food safety, risk and globalization in China and Japan, Food, Culture & Society, 16 (1): 6-19.  Gong, Qian and Peter Jackson (2012) Consuming anxiety? Parenting practices in China after the infant formula scandal, Food, Culture and Society, 15 (4): 557-78.  Klein, Jakob A. (2014). 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