Reflections on Solving the Problem of Food Safety Based on Credit Enhancement

Zhonggang SUN，Yuanbao WANG

1．College of Economics and Management，China Agricultural University，Beijing100083，China；2．College of Economics and Management，Beijing City University，Beijing 100083，China

1 Introduction

With construction of modern market system，there is frequent occurrence of food incidents，such as melamine，lean meat powder，gutter oil，tainted steamed buns，Sudan Red，and beef extract．Due to development of industrialization，urbanization and agricultural modernization，nearly all residents have to obtain foods through market，instead of self-sufficiency through self working．The precondition for obtaining foods through market is consumers believe that foods are safe in food supervision system，basic hygiene awareness，moral awareness of producers，and quality requirement of competition．However，these food incidents attack the credit of food safety，and trust of residents in food safety also drops to self comfort state of＂out of sight，out ofmind＂．Such state is in fact potential crisis of food industry development，will corrode food industry and related industries，social stability，and honesty culture．In-depth analysis of this crisis is of great significance for solving the problem of food safety．

2 Literature review

For food safety，many people often mix it with food hygiene and food quality，so it is necessary to make clear of it．Food safety refers to the conditions that foods and related products are free of any actual or potential harm to human health，and also refers to various management methods and measures taken to ensure such conditions［1］．Food hygiene is the condition of preserving food clean，uncontaminated and not causing people ill．Food quality is the quality characteristics of food that is acceptable to consumers．This includes external factors as appearance（size，shape，color，gloss，and consistency），texture，and flavor；factors such as federal grade standards（e．g．of eggs）and internal（chemical，physical，microbial）．Food safety means food is free of any harm to human health including acute and chronic harm，it is an absolute concept．Food hygiene is also a quality concept．

Food safety credit is the reliability degree of food producing，processing，transport and sales enterprises providing safe foods．As soon as consumers buy foods，they sign express or implicit contract with food producers，processors and operators．This contract，no doubt，specifies that foods are safe，sanitary，healthy，and nutritional．This is not only requirement of consumers，but also commitments of producers，because the contract is established on the basis of mutual agreement［2］．

About researches of food safety credit，domestic scholars mainly focus on following aspects．（i）Causes of problem of food safety credit．Liu Hua'nan and Song Chunxiang（2006）analyzed causes of vacancy of China's food safety credit from surface，middle and deep levels，and proposed solving the problem using four types combined credit investigation system［3］．（ii）Construction of food safety system．Yu Lingyan（2011）proposed establishing the food safety credit management system consisting of supervision of government and industrial associations，self-discipline of operating enterprises，and monitoring of consumers［4］．Zhang Weida（2013）analyzed current situation of China's food safety credit system using empirical analysis and comparative analysis methods，explored factors influencing the construction of food safety credit system，and came up with pertinent improvement recommendations［5］．（iii）Evaluation of food safety credit．Liu Hua'nan and Chen Zhongjiang（2008）established a fuzzy hierarchical comprehensive evaluation model using Analytic Hierarchy Process（AHP）ad fuzzy theory，and made empirical analysis［6］．（iv）Researches of other support systems，such as laws about food safety credit，and information system of food safety credit．

However，the above researches fail to puthuman factor in the central position of the problem of food safety credit．Construction of system，institution，laws and various regulations is one aspect，butwithout implementation by people，there will be no effect of such systems．Therefore，it is required to study the food safety credit from various action entities．

3 Causes of the food safety problem

3．1 Weak awareness of front line staff and indifference to life safety Frontline staff of food production and operation lack adequate awareness of food safety and are even indifferent to human life．This is the surface reason for frequent occurrence of food incidents．Frontline staff has low educational level and lacks education of food safety，so they do not know consequence of food safety problem，some of them know the consequence butare indifferent to human life．In actual practice，front line staff may not just seek profit，they think they have to do their job and if not do，they may lose their jobs，so they often earn the money selling cabbage，but speak in the hearts of selling heroin．

3．2 Excessive pursuit of food producers and operators for profitExcessive pursuit of food producers and operators for profit is an immediate cause of frequent occurrence of food incidents．Although production processes of foods are varied，biological hazardous factors，chemical hazardous factors，and physical hazardous factors in the production［7］will bring harm to consumers．Fake food products and illegal use of additives and mixture of foreign matters disclosed in recent years are related to production operation entities．Sudan Red，melamine，and lean meat powder incidents prove that direct use of these illegal additives is major reason causing the food safety problem．

3．3 Vacancy and lagging of administrative supervision

Vacancy and lagging of administrative supervision is a deep cause of food safety credit problem．Establishment and improvement of food safety laws and regulations，as well as strict supervision of law enforcement department，are legal foundation of food safety［8］．Food safety involves many government sectors and needs cooperation of many departments．According to current labor division of administrative functions，the administration for industry and commerce is responsible for supervision of market circulation system，while quality supervision department is responsible for supervision of manufacturers，supervision of production and circulation is relatively separate and isolated，it will influence the stability of entire food chain supervision．Although China has established the Food Safety Committee of State Council，segmented administration of food safety management still exists．Article 8 of Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China implemented in June，2009 stipulated that the monitoring of food safety risks shall be assumed by the technical institutions determined by the health administrative departments of the people's governments at or above the provincial level jointly with the quality supervision departments，industry and commerce administrative departments，food and drug supervision and administration departments and other departments at the same level．A typical example goes like this：when a pig is in breeding farm，it is under the supervision of agricultural department；when it comes to transportstage，it is under the supervision of administration of industry and commerce；when it is put into market，it is under the supervision of administration of industry and commerce and quality inspection department；when it goes to dining table，it is under the supervision of health department；when it is exported to foreign countries，it is under the supervision of administration of quality supervision，inspection and quarantine．Besides，due to human input，fund input and equipment input of departments to food safety supervision are different due to limitation of regional difference，system transference and leading direction，it is difficult to form effective supervision of all illegal acts in the process of food safety．The probability is little for supervision department to discover illegal and speculation action of food producers and operators．As a result，most illegal and speculation people will be able to obtain high profit，which will encourage food producers and operators in a converted way．

3．4 Lack of social culture of honesty and public interest

Social groups are situated in the social culture of excessively pursuing benefit and indifference to human life，backward laws and regulations，decline of moral principles，and lack of benefit are root cause of food safety credit crisis．Over 30 years since the reform and opening up，material production receives considerable development．At the same time of rapid growth of GDP，the pursuit of material benefits nearly becomes central pursuit of most people，and the food producers and operators are no exception．Excessive pursuit of material benefits distorts people's value concept．In this atmosphere，it is not difficult to explain action motive of using illegal additives．This problem is also found in other fields，such as casualties in removal projects，miners drowned in mines，and little girl crushed by automobiles，as well as people helping the old man fell down but getting fined．At a deeper level，food safety is just a miniature of entire social problem．

4 Recommendations

4．1 Rebuilding moral culture with honesty and public interests as foundation，to realize improvement of social credit

Credit is an in dispensible foundation for market economy development［9］．Moral culture is an essential factor influencing institutional arrangement and social operation．Without moral culture，people's social and cultural life is unimaginable．As foundation of moral culture，the credit value generated from honesty is the foundation for operation of modern commercial economic system，and the food industry is no exception．For food related industries，especially agriculture-related industry，due to influence of industrial attribute，most agriculture-related enterprises rely on policy support and supervision regulation to a certain extent．Subjects implementing policies and supervision are government departments at all levels，personnel of which are mainly consisted of public servants．According to regulations of related laws，as a special group，public servants are fed by taxpayers and thus should perform statutory responsibilities and obligations．Public nature of public management determines professional attitude，concept and belief of each public servant，and their action should satisfy the public requirement in moral and ethical aspect，and should be defined clearly in system．Therefore，rebuilding moral culture with honesty and pub-lic interest as foundation should firstly establish professional attitude，concept and belief of public servants，then establish professional attitude，concept and belief of food producers and operators，which will be favorable for establishment of moral honesty in other groups of the whole society．

4．2 Strengthening construction of the supervision system with clear rights and responsibilities as basis，reinforcing supervision of food industry and effectiveness of punishment of illegal actions，to raise government creditThe effectiveness of food industry supervision relies on clearness of rights and responsibilities of subjects in the supervision system，professional attitude and concept of implementing subjects，and effectiveness of supervision tools and methods．Supervision of food safety is responsibility of government and essential part of government public service and management．In China，there are problems of too many supervision departments，scattered supervision forces，unclear responsibilities and unsmooth connection resulted from multiple department supervision．From the perspective of improving effectiveness of food safety supervision，it is necessary to make scientific reform of China's food safety system．Besides，if the punishment of lawbreaking subjects considers potential hazard to individuals and environment，it will manifest attention to life and protection of public interests，so as to improve effectiveness of punishment and reduce the probability of occurrence of illegal actions in food safety．

4．3 Encouraging bringing into play functions of credit incentive and restrictive mechanisms based on brand innovation，to realize improvement of enterprise creditRebuilding of moral culture and effective supervision can reinforce food safety guarantee level to a certain extent．However，if without economic profit as guarantee，it is still difficult to contain profit seeking and speculation actions of food producers and operators．As central element of economic system，all enterprises will pursue economic profit．Only on the basis of complying with such value orientation，may the government supervision and moral restriction bring into play．Methods of pursuing profit basically come from raising product price，reducing costs，or accepting policy transfer payment．Among various methods of raising price，using brand premium to realize profit increase is a general method easily acceptable to consumers．To keep high profit rate，enterprises will strengthen quality and service centered brand management，to avoid potential brand risk losses．If enterprises choose honesty，they will obtain corresponding return，such as excellent credit relationship and stable consumers，etc［3］．Making effective guidance and support for food brands through policies can encourage enterprises to establish value incentive and risk restrictive compatible operating mechanism with brand value commitment as the core value，so as to keep effectiveness of supervision and improve guarantee level of food safety．

4．4 Establishing credit files for food workersIt is recommended to establish security qualification management system，strengthen access management system，process management and follow-up management，periodical education and training，constantly improve and strengthen food safety awareness of food workers．It is recommended to connect credit file and credit of other economic fields，assign it with necessary economic functions，such as low cost financing，and have priority of obtaining funds．At the same time，it is recommended to provide training and continuing education of layabouts，to improve their living skills and related awareness．When some people have problem of living and eating，it is no doubt they do illegal actions．

5 Conclusions

Food safety problem is not only technology problem，responsibility problem，and law breaking problem of food producers and operators，but also miniature of social problem．

（i）Solving food problem should start from moral culture，especially moral culture of officials．Government officials and public servants should take public interests and effective enforcement of legal laws and regulations as their responsibilities，so as to improve the credit environment of the whole society．

（ii）Straightening out the supervision and monitoring system of food industry is the core，making clear responsibility and power ownership，enhancing supervision of administrative department by a third party，to punish law breaking actions with awe to life．It is required to shoot the arrow at the target for food safety problem，so as to build and strengthen public interest of government．

（iii）Conforming to market economic laws，building incentive and restrictive compatible system，taking credit construction as the core，taking brand innovation as breakthrough point，realizing positive income of food producers and operators through brand premium and negative restriction of brand risk resulted from illegal action，and building the food safety security system under the joint action of culture，system，and economic mechanism，including supervision of laws and regulations，monitoring of media and masses，and encouragement of lawful income．

（iv）Improving relevant education and awareness of food workers and establishing the credit filing system of food workers．Besides，it is recommended to strengthen education and training of reemployment of layabouts，prevent them from falling into being exhausted and doing illegal activities．

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