Watchdog targets food safety at import expo
At a warehouse in the Pudong New Area, officials check imported cold-storage foods to be exhibited at the import expo.
With the clock ticking down to the start of the third China International Import Expo, the city's market watchdog is making food safety a top priority, officials announced on Tuesday.
Five meal suppliers and four logistics companies are supplying foods and ingredients to 77 food businesses inside the National Exhibition and Convention Center, the CIIE venue, said the Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation.
A standardized food ingredient supply system has been established to ensure that all supplies to the expo can be tracked, the administration said.
The timing and temperature of meals supplied to staff inside the venue are being closely monitored as well.
Around-the-clock supervision is in place on food supplies at 42 cold-storage delivery spots, four logistics and delivery companies, five group meal service providers and hotels accommodating guests of the import expo, the administration said.
Relevant catering service providers and hotels are encouraged to use domestic cold-storage food supplies and nucleic acid tests are conducted on cold-storage foods, their packaging and relevant equipment, according to the administration.
A warehouse in Pudong is used to store imported cold-storage foods which will be displayed at the expo.
Inside the National Exhibition and Convention Center, 24-hour patrols are targeting food businesses. These businesses are ordered to conduct nucleic acid tests on relevant staff and strictly disinfect foods, food storage areas and packaging, the administration said.
Inspections also cover 32 temporary emergency meal service supply venues inside the center.
So far, 720 inspections have been conducted on food businesses inside the CIIE venue and nucleic acid tests have been conducted on 261 batches of cold-storage foods. All have been negative.
An intelligent approach has been taken on the delivery of foods to the venue, enabling supervisors to monitor all processes involved in food delivery such as preparation, loading and transportation.
Each box of foods delivered to the expo venue bears a single label containing product information and each delivery vehicle bears a seal with a corresponding code, which can not be opened until the vehicles reach the National Exhibition and Convention Center, the administration said.
Food supply and logistics information is recorded in the expo's supervision and management system to keep food contamination risks at bay.
More than 92 tons of food and ingredients have been supplied to the expo venue under strict scrutiny so far, according to the administration.
Patrols will also cover more than 1,000 food exhibition booths at three exhibition areas during the expo to regulate operations of food exhibitors, the administration said.
Catering businesses inside the CIIE venue have been ordered to keep proper seating distances and ensure one-meter waiting distance.
Nineteen mobile food service vans have been in place inside the center to prevent crowding.
Training has been conducted among management staff of food supply companies to enhance their awareness on epidemic prevention and control, involving blanket disinfection on key venues and processes in the processing, storage and delivery of cold-storage meat and aquatic products.
An emergency drill has been conducted at the National Exhibition and Convention Center on food safety and the prevention and control of the epidemic concerning cold-storage foods.
The target is "zero food safety incidents" during the expo, the administration said.
