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Entrepreneurs vow safe food for children

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-05-24 11:16

More than 100 Chinese entrepreneurs vowed in Beijing to provide the country's 400 million-plus children and teenagers safe food, as part of a nationwide campaign to improve food safety that began on Friday.

These enterprises included the largest juice producer, Huiyuan Group; a leading dairy product manufacturer, Sanlu Dairy Company; Beijing Jiuhe Foods Company and baby food maker Beinmate.

PepsiCo (China) and Nestle China also became strategic partners of this drive, which was initiated by the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation last August. It was jointly launched by 11 government departments including the National Development and Reform Commission, the ministries of education, agriculture, commerce and health and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ).

Pu Changcheng, deputy director of the AQSIQ, told the conference that the effort was intended to draw attention to the food safety of the country's young people and spread scientific diet and living methods among families.

"We should give more care to children from the vast rural areas and outlying mountainous regions to facilitate the healthy development of the country's children's food industry," added Pu, who is also the director of the campaign.

Chinese industries have come under scrutiny from domestic and foreign consumers who are concerned about substandard products and food.

Food-related incidents, in particular, included fake milk powder with no nutritional value, vegetables with pesticide residue and eggs tainted with the industrial dye Sudan Red.

During the campaign, a special fund for children's food safety will be established, national standards for food quality for children will be formulated and food quality in rural groceries and supermarkets will be supervised.

The organizers have asked more than 30 experts to advise on the formulation of specialized food safety standards.

Luo Yunbo, dean of the food science and nutritional engineering school of China Agricultural University, said there were still problems of food safety and quality in the country.

Luo added that if children had healthier eating habits, companies would produce healthier foods.

China Study Public Policy and Management Consulting (Beijing) Co and Beinmate each donated 3 million yuan ($431,670) for the campaign to help formulate national children's food safety standards and conduct educational and publicity projects.

Employees from PepsiCo (China) donated more than 600,000 yuan to help children in the quake-hit areas resume their studies.

Kevin Jin, the chairman of the Beijing-based Health and Education Investment Management Center, donated 3 million yuan to set up a fund for assisting child survivors of the quake continue their interrupted studies.

"To do my bit for those children is a duty that I need to fulfill and to improve children's health and educational conditions is one of my long-term goals," he told Xinhua.