Sino Analytica, Keeping an Eye on China's Food SafetyMonday June 29 8:56 PMThe farming and food productionindustry in China is HUGE. With reference to statistics provided by General Administration of Customs, China's annual food exports reached US$2.62 billion in March 2009, up 8.9% from previous year. At the same time, the industry caters for its domestic food consumption which has a staggering 1.3 million population. Its food chain comprises approximately 200 million farmers supplying to 500,000 food producers. Of the food producers, approximately 6% are large-scale businesses, accounting for around 72% of total market output. Medium-sized enterprises with more than 10 people account for 15% and takes up around 19% market share, followed by small-scale businesses (under 10 people) accounting for 79% and taking up a market share of 9%. Since establishing Sino Analytica in 2003, we have seen a significant and ongoing change in Chinese consumer attitudes towards food safety and thus the opening of a diverse range of food testing laboratories in China. When we opened our first lab in China, we were the only ones in Qingdao but now there are 14 food testing labs in this region. With so many food testing labs available, deciding which one is suitable can be quite challenging as an unqualified choice can mean risking your business reputation. Usually, there are 6 things to look out for when choosing labs: accreditations, independence, recognised proficiency testing, validated testing methods, turnaround time, and prices. Reliable labs will partake in independent proficiency tests so always ask prospective labs for copies of their recent results. Additionally, do check a lab's technology and instruments and whether they have a quality check system/procedure in place. In the current environment, food processors are being instructed to take more responsibility with new penalties being enforced by China's new Food Safety Law, launched earlier on June 1st. Consequently, we saw a marked increase in the number of new enquiries this month. From the enquiries, we also sense that food producers are evaluating more cautiously in regards to the testing services and labs available. At Sino Analytica, our 6 year presence in China and our thoroughly local yet truly global approach continues to serve customers from over 60 countries and regions worldwide. In China, our customers span from farmers to food producers and supermarket chains to small private companies. We believe our understanding of the Chinese food industry and our cost-effective yet credible farm-to-fork services will continue to support the steadily improving food industry in China, as well as the continuous growth of our food testing labs and collection centres in Qingdao, Ningbo, Laiyang, and Hangzhou. Furthermore, to assist food producers in their initiative to learn more about testing services available, Sino Analytica has compiled a table illustrating the recommended tests for major food categories and various food chain stages in China. Sino Analytica: Recommended LaboratoryTests
Fruit & vegetables: Pesticides, Heavy metals, Microbiology
Seafood & aquaculture: Heavy metals, Microbiology, Malachite Green,
Crystal violet, Polyphosphate, Veterinary drug
Meat & poultry:Microbiology, Veterinary drug
Dairy: Microbiology, Veterinary drug, Melamine
Dried products Pesticides, Heavy metals, Aflotoxins,
(tea & spices): Food colorants
Nuts, grains and
cereals:Pesticides, Heavy metals, Aflotoxins
Beverages & juices: Pesticides
Candies & confectionary: Pesticides, Heavy metals, Microbiology,
Food colorants, Food additives
Farming: Pesticides, Soil, Water, Formulations
Primary processing: Microbiology, Food additives
Secondary processing
and packaging: Microbiology, Food additives, Food labeling
Retail: Food labeling, Food composition
About John ChappleNationality: British Education: B.S.c. Agriculture, University of Newcastle, UK, 1980 With wide experience of farming, horticulture and food processing - John co-founded Sino Analytica in 2003 with the encouragement and financial support from parent company, Pacific Andes International Holdings Limited. In 1999, John was invited to join New Millennium Group Holdings Limited as General Manager, where he had successfully increased China's vegetable & fruit exports to Europe, the USA and Japan by assisting Chinese farmers and processors with their operations. During 1999-2002, John recognised the need for an independent residue analysis laboratory, hence the establishment of China's first world-class independent foodtesting laboratory, Sino Analytica. Prior to working in China, John spent 19 years in the management team of a major UK agribusiness. During that time he became interested in food safety issues associated with intensive agricultural production and became an early proponent of Integrated Farm Management. He was one of the founding members of the Assured Produce Group, which was a forerunner for EurepGAP and latterly GLOBALGAP. About Sino Analytica Established in 2003, as the first world-class independent food testing laboratory in China, Sino Analytica provides competitively-priced safety/quality assessments, training, auditing and advisory solutions for the global food chain industry. Strategically located in Qingdao and Ningbo with collection centres in Laiyang and Hangzhou, its farm to fork services which follows a "thoroughly local yet truly global" approach now serves customers from over 60 countries and regions across China, the USA, Europe, Africa and Asia. Accreditations include: International Standard ISO 17025, China National Accreditation Service for Conformity ("CNAS"), United Kingdom Accreditation Services ("UKAS"), and China Metrology Accreditation ("CMA"). www.sinoanalytica.com Source: Sino Analytica Contact: Michael McGuill / Heming Ji T: +86 532 8381 6633 x888 / +86 532 8381 6633 x658 E: michael.mcguill@sinoanalytica.com E: heming.ji@sinoanalytica.com Copyright 2009 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. |
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