Elsevier

Food Policy

Volume 35, Issue 5, October 2010, Pages 471-478
Food Policy

Policies and practices for aquaculture food safety in China

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2010.05.007Get rights and content

Abstract

There are growing concerns over the safety of aquaculture food products from China, which supplies 70% of the world’s farmed fish food. We present a comprehensive literature review, supplemented with qualitative data obtained from interviews with experts in the field, to examine the policies and practices designed to ensure the safety of food produced by the Chinese aquaculture industry. The food safety system has many parts that are administered by different governmental organizations with poor coordination among them. The system apparently operates as two entities: one for products destined for the export market and based largely on the requirements of importing countries, and the other with lower standards and levels of enforcement for domestic market products. The top-down approach focuses more on the end product rather than the production practices. There are several indications that regulations pertaining to antibiotic use are not being followed. Recent events have brought the issue of overall food safety to the attention of the Chinese public and the Government is acting positively towards addressing deficiencies of the system. Chief among these is the Food Safety Law which comes into effect in June, 2009. But the central government must work in concert with provincial and local authorities to improve the infrastructure for inspecting and tracking food from farms to the end consumers to ensure a greater degree of safety of aquatic food for the Chinese population.

Introduction

Total annual per capita fish consumption has increased from 9 kg in 1961 to more than 17 kg in 2006 (FAO, 2006). With 75% of the world’s wild fisheries wholly or partially depleted, much of the increase in production to meet this demand has come from aquaculture, which now supplies more than 43% of fish available for human consumption, up from 27% in 2000 (FAO, 2006). China now accounts for 70% of the world’s total aquaculture output by quantity and, since its accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001, has become the largest exporter of aquaculture products to the international market (FAO, 2007).

However, there are growing concerns over the safety of aquaculture products from China, particularly in the wake of widespread rejections by importing countries due to the presence of banned antibiotic residues in fish and shrimp, and recent findings of melamine in aquatic feed products (FDA, 2008). With China’s rapid ascendency as a major food producing and exporting nation, the regulatory mechanisms that aim to ensure food safety have struggled to keep pace (Barboza, 2008). This study examines the current state of food safety regulations for aquaculture products in China and how they are operationalized at the level of the producers. Because of China’s importance as an exporter of farmed aquaculture products, the regulatory policies and practices of major importing countries and international organizations, along with their role in Chinese regulation, are also explored.

Section snippets

Materials and methods

The first section of this study examines policies in place in China and importing countries that pertain to the safety of aquaculture food products. Sources include published and unpublished reports from international agencies such as the Food and Agriculture Organization and the European Directorate-General for Health and Consumers. Reports from government agencies and trade organization such as the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Chinese government’s Ministry of

Results

Of the 61 million tonnes of farmed aquatic food produced in 2004, 42 million tonnes (69%) came from China with more than $7 billion worth of the country’s products destined for the export market (Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, 2006). Freshwater aquaculture production increased by an annual average of 18% between 1978 and 2007 (National Bureau of Statistics, 2008) (Fig. 1). The primary species produced for human consumption are carp, mostly for domestic consumption, and shrimp and

Discussion

The free market operating in the presence of a major discrepancy between regulatory enforcement for export and domestic aquaculture products is a driving force for the two-track system that currently exists. Export products command substantially higher prices than those destined for the domestic market. Therefore exports can generate higher income from sales for the producer who can then invest more to improve inputs for higher quality products. Greater scrutiny by importing countries and the

Conclusion

The current system of aquatic food safety regulation in China functions as two entities: one operating for products destined for the export market and based largely on the requirements of importing countries, and the other with lower standards and levels of enforcement for domestic market products. The system takes a top-down approach that focuses more on the end product rather than the production practices. The food safety system has many parts that are administered by different governmental

Acknowledgment

The Johns Hopkins University Center for a Livable Future at the Bloomberg School of Public Health provided funding for this research.

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