China Offers $48,200 Reward For Food Safety Whistleblowers
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China’s food safety watchdog, the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), has offered cash rewards of up to 300,000 yuan ($48,200) to any individual willing to report on health safety violations, reported Xinhua News on Tuesday, following the revelation of yet another food-related scandal last month – adding to the nation’s already abysmal food safety record.
China’s food safety watchdog, the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), has offered cash rewards of up to 300,000 yuan ($48,200) to any individual willing to report on health safety violations, reported Xinhua News on Tuesday, following the revelation of yet another food-related scandal last month – adding to the nation’s already abysmal food safety record.
According to an SFDA statement, the move aims to “encourage the public to report illegal activities so as to determine, control and eliminate potential safety risks concerning food and medicine.”
Depending on the veracity of the information provided, the organization or individual behind the tip-off would then receive approximately between 1 and 6 percent of the value of the food involved, with the top reward ceiling set at 300,000 yuan.
[quote]“Actions taken to report violations of food and drug safety laws will be rewarded,” the state-owned Xinhua news agency said. “The reward for each case, in principle, will not exceed 300,000 yuan.”[/quote]Xinhua noted that the new reward rule would supercede one released on Nov 27 2003, which had set the maximum award ceiling at 50,000 yuan.
In a separate editorial published by the news agency, Xinhua also slammed Yum! Brands Inc., the parent company of US fast food chain KFC, for “digging their own graves” in China by failing to ensure quality standards in the nation.
“These multinational businesses could risk losing the profits they came to China to seek if they don’t correct their practices.”
“News of tainted chicken sold by the company (KFC) was reported on Dec 18 by China Central Television, which conducted an undercover investigation of the company’s suppliers in east China’s Shandong province. The investigation revealed that some suppliers were using excessive amounts of antiviral drugs and hormones to make the chickens grow more quickly.”
[quote]“Yum apologized to customers in China on Jan 10, admitting shortcomings in the company’s self-checking process and a lack of internal communication…[but] Yum’s understated apology is rooted in its arrogance and propensity for unfairly treating Chinese consumers, who usually regard foreign brands as being safer and of higher quality than domestic brands,” the op-ed piece wrote.[/quote]Related: China to Introduce Tougher Food Safety Rules
Related: China To Impose Lifetime Bans For Food Safety Violators
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Last December, Beijing also said that it would introduce an “accountability system” to crackdown on rampant food safety violation, promising to punish firms that continually flout food safety laws.
Under the proposed new laws, firms caught using banned substances in foods, producing food from inedible ingredients, or illegally making, selling or using banned food additives may also be banned from the industry for life; while employees and executives found guilty of food safety violations will not be allowed to work in the industry for at least five years after their firms’ licenses have been revoked.
