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在线翻译:
szdaily -> Business
Heinz recall brings food tracking issue to the fore
     2014-August-26  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

    THE entanglement of H.J. Heinz Co. in China’s latest food scare highlights a key concern for international and local firms — how to keep track of ingredients from diverse sources in a country where food supply tracing technologies are far from the norm.

    The U.S. food maker apologized to Chinese consumers last week and said it would tighten controls over suppliers after it was forced to recall some infant cereal from store shelves due to excess levels of lead.

    Food safety scares erupt regularly in China — KFC parent Yum Brands Inc., McDonald’s Corp., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd. have all suffered recently — and such incidents can seriously dent sales.

    But barcode tracking systems for produce, common in the United States and Europe, are largely absent.

    “Standardized traceability of food products does not currently exist in China. It’s a long way from it,” said David Mahon, Beijing-based managing director of an investment firm focusing on China’s food and beverage sectors.

    China’s food traceability systems and regulation were classified as “poor” in an August report from the Institute of Food Technologists. This was the lowest score of around 20 countries included.

    Food safety barcodes store details such as the farm of origin, dates of harvest, planting, storage and shipment, meaning clients down the line can trace a particular batch and find out how and why any issues occurred.

    Some firms have tried to bring the system into wider use in China — French grocer Carrefour SA launched a barcoding system last year for fruit and vegetables — but the technology has failed to catch on due to the high costs of implementation throughout scattered supply chains.(SD-Agencies)

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