CPPCC Member Jiang Junwu: Shinho is the "Defender of Food Safety"

On the morning of February 16th, before the fifth session of 12th CPPCC (Chinese People's Political Consultative Committee) Meeting in Yantai started, our reporter spoke to the Vice General Manager of Shinho, Jiang Junwu. "Children are our hope for the future, their food safety issues are beyond personal health, but are also the basis for the development of future society," Jiang told us. He was ready to put forward a proposal about strengthening school canteen management because canteen’s importance status in students’ life – it was the place where students had their three main meals. After years of research, he found a few big issues in its management system.

"Shinho is a food company, and after having been in the industry for over 20 years, we've established our reputation in the condiment industry. So, we always pay great attention to issues such as food safety. Although we normally would run charity events for those impovrished schools, I think we should also set out from what we do, which is to let children eat healthily." Jiang said that he had witnessed many food safety hazards in school canteens, and there was a lack of awareness among canteen staff, who had not been professional trained for food safety, some canteens also did not have designated food safety managers as required by regulation. In addition, canteens often ignored hazards in selecting purchasing channels due to limited budget. Given the situation, Jiang thought there were trememdous challenges in making children eat healthier from an scientfic perspective. When Chinese people's quality of life improves, people's disposable income is also on the rise, to shake things up in a system as large as the education and drive changes in school canteens require concerted efforts from every corner of the society. From Jiang's perspective, solving the food safety for kids cannot only rely on Shinho, but need considerable efforts from the entire society. He was really pleased that his proposal has met positive reception from the municipal government and leaders at local education bureau. He had also been invited to discussions with different stakeholders on the problem. Starting point: Food Safety Events Just like an old Chinese phrase goes, "People are a country's roots, and the country should take care of their food and lives." From ancient to modern days, "Food is what people live upon" has been an eternal topic in the Chinese society. But today, we need to look beyond the sustenance, and see the importance of food safety. During the interview, our reporter also learned that Shinho has been partaking influential events in food safety, which made it a pioneer in food industry in China. Jiang expressed his opinions on how his country had changed over the years. Over the past 30 years after the reform and open-up policy, China's economy soared at an unprecedented speed, and people's lifestyle also shifted from "having little to eat” to “having money to eat” “having good food" and "eat safely". That's why the whole food and culinary industry should be regulated, he said, to ensure our people can have food from reliable sources. "Food safety incidents are not just making us more and more vulnerable, they are also questioning the bottom line of all producers and regulators. A great food company's ultimate goal should not just be profits but also social responsibilities. We want the public to believe our products are safe, which is a very basic standard for Shinho to become a long-standing enterprise." Jiang said, food safety was not as easy as it sounded, it took a well-rounded management system including exercising control over suppliers and production teams. To achieve this goal, Shinho has established a professional, scientific food safety and security system, not only it has the very first CNAS accredited laboratory in the entire industry, it also maintains a modern food safety management protocol featuring the "from farm to table" Total Quality Management (TQM).

Reportedly, Shinho was the only food company in Shangdong Province that has been invited to national food safety week events. For three consecutive years, Shinho had also shared experiences in provincial food safety events as a role model. Jiang considered this recognition as a form of supervision, and he believed that Shinho would be able to offer better products and commitment for consumers in the future. Action: Food Safety in China, Shinho is on its Way The latest revision of Food Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China defines clear roles for regulators and has lifted punishment level, that it would make public announcements on unlawful food producers and operators, and it was acclaimed the “most strict food safety law in China’s history”. Jiang was sure that those who operated against the law would never win in this market atmosphere, that their one and only fate was exiting under the new law. However, as a company that was strict on food quality and safety, it still had a long way to go in terms of pressing ahead food safety together with its consumers. Shinho aims to start from a broader sense, which is the food ecosystem. It strives to improve every link of it from sources to table, as well as processing methods and all food experiences. Just as Jiang Junwu said, if Shinho aimed to become a reliable brand for all, it must start from the basic level and make every small detail right. Food safety in China will always remain top on Shinho's action list. (Source: Qilu News)