Li Hao

    MARKET supervision of edible bird’s nest is insufficient, according to domestic media reports.

    With no national or industrial standards concerning cubilose, illegal operators are free to manufacture fake bird’s nest, which has disturbed the domestic market.

    Insiders have called to step up the establishment of detailed and classified standards on health and tonic products with increased demand, better protecting consumer rights.

    Experts said that there is a standard vacuum in the field of food safety in China, which indicates that there is space for improvement in the food safety legal system.

    The lack of related standards makes it almost impossible for consumers to tell the difference between white bird’s nest and so-called blood-red bird’s nest, or distinguish the genuine from the fake.

    “Bird’s nest is not essential to health,” said Fan Zhihong, a nutrition expert at China Agricultural University in Beijing on Thursday.

    “Ordering bird’s nest in a restaurant is just a status symbol or a psychological comfort. There is no need to conform to this. If such fallacy is not cleared up, some big-spending people will continue to eat bird’s nest even if it contains dangerous chemicals,” Fan said, according to a report by Beijing Time on Aug.19.