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Restore consumer trust

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-02-17 15:09

The Chinese authorities must display zero tolerance toward any violation of food-safety-related laws to boost consumer confidence.

Related readings:  Dairy firms deny products are 'unsafe' amid investigations  Former dairy boss in milk scandal appeals  Dairy firms text public, say sorry

This is a matter of vital importance at a time when the country is trying everything possible to turn domestic consumption into a key engine for the national economy.

By drawing a conclusion that Mengniu's milk additive OMP is not harmful to human health, the Ministry of Health might have spared this domestic dairy giant a market collapse for the moment.

But that does not mean the country's quality regulator should therefore treat lightly the company that has violated the current food safety law to use a milk additive which is not yet listed as a legal food material.

Though health authorities said that Mengniu used OMP in dairy production without industry permission and could still face punishment, such a statement amounts to little more than a slap on the wrist.

The dairy company made use of the statement to justify its refusal to withdraw its products containing OMP from the market.

The country's top quality regulator ordered Mengniu to stop production of milk containing OMP on Feb 2 to conduct safety tests. Yet the dairy company has neither stopped selling OMP milk produced before that day nor intended to recall those products despite it being made clear that they were produced illegally. Moreover, it failed to offer an apology to frightened consumers.

It is sad that such a leading domestic dairy giant can be so short sighted.

The Ministry of Health might have rushed in to calm unnecessary panic over food safety. But the real problem is not the actual product but consumer trust.

The recent bankruptcy of Sanlu Group, the company at the heart of the contaminated baby milk scandal that killed six and sickened about 300,000 others, does not mark the end of the industry-wide crisis. It should be the beginning for Chinese dairy companies to rebuild their reputation among the public.

Unfortunately, a second food safety scandal hit the dairy industry even before the first shockwave had subsided.

A speedy official conclusion on the safety of products may not be a sufficient answer to consumer worries.

Instead, only prompt and proportional punishment for the law-breaker can heighten consumer safety.

For Chinese enterprises as a whole, the quality watchdog's tough love will help greatly by eventually shoring up Chinese consumer confidence in domestic brands.