WeChat account allows users to trace their food
An official WeChat account has been launched for Shanghai's food tracing system, allowing consumers to learn about their foods by scanning QR or bar codes, the city's food watchdog announced yesterday.
People can also receive information by searching for the names of companies or food items via the account, according to the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration.
The tracing system allows consumers to get information about their foods' producers, suppliers, production location, safety testing results and production date. Data is available for a range of vegetables, seafood, poultry, fruits, bean products, dairy items and edible oils.
So far, about 40,000 enterprises have been registered on Shanghai's food safety information tracing platform, and about 2 million food safety information searches have been recorded via the platform, according to the administration.
In related news, the Shanghai FDA and its counterparts in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces have signed an agreement to construct and maintain a food information tracing platform for the Yangtze River Delta region.
Pilot projects on food data collection, sharing, analysis and application will be established with the help of the Internet of Things, big data, cloud computing and blockchain technologies, according to the cooperation agreement.
Plans are also in the works for the creation of a regional food safety information database as well as regional management and law enforcement mechanisms.
Food authorities in the Yangtze River Delta region will further establish a joint credibility system, allowing for information sharing on blacklisted enterprises and individuals.