When quality inspection authorities and industrial associations create national standards for the food industry, they should not side with the companies. Authorities should always bear in mind that their responsibility is to serve the interests of consumers, says an article in the Guangzhou Daily. Excerpts:

China will have its first plasticizer standards for the liquor industry in two months according to the China Food Industry Association, and the standard will be the first of its kind in the world. But the standard will reportedly be comfortably generous for liquor makers. If so, the new standard will not make any difference.

That no data from other countries prove that plasticizers are harmful to human health cannot be taken as an excuse to relax the new national standards for chemical agents in liquor.

Decision makers should not be held hostage by liquor enterprises. The dairy industry association in China is just a typical example. It ignores the consumers' interests and proclaims that the dairy products made in China are of the highest quality, while turning a blind eye to the consumers' strong demands for imported dairy products and deeply rooted distrust of milk and infant formula powders made in China.

That's why China's domestic dairy industry has lost a significant slice of its market share.

Decision makers in the field of the food industry must base their conclusions on scientific research and experiments.

On the other hand, raising the quality standards at home can also force the companies to pursue technological innovation, which benefits the healthy development of the industry in the long run.