Food safety has become a major issue of concern for Chinese people. When milk, meat, fruit and medicines are all found to contain harmful substances, it sparks public alarm. Jiang yibing, a media commentator, maintains that apart from an early warning mechanism, an accountability system for officials needs to be set up to address safety scandals. His thoughts are as follows:
　　Issues related to food safety have provoked much discussion in China. Among these, poisoned pills are no doubt at the center of attention. People have discovered that certain medicinal capsules are made from discarded leather shoes. These shoes contain an excessive amount of chromium, a chemical that poses a serious threat to a person’s health if consumed.
　　But food safety is not a new issue in China. Since early 2011, contaminated products like milk, meat and drugs plague people with reminders of the huge problem. All of these products are from renowned Chinese companies. What is really to blame, though, for this phenomenon?
　　The fact is that all of these enterprises, while huge and previously credible, all fall under the supervision of a national department. Given this, the profit chain behind the problems could be very long. As links along the profit chain, manufacturers are able to sell risky products because they possess production licenses doled out by a supervisory department. The widespread neglect of duty acts as a highway of distribution for tainted goods. And all the while, this supervisory department reaps benefits from enjoying easy work with no oversight from above.
　　The problems with food safety in China are myriad. Apart from excessive pesticide residues, inadequate manufacturing techniques and circulating pollution, inefficient supervision departments and accountability mechanisms are also to blame. There are seven national departments involved in food safety work. These include agriculture, trade, hygiene, industry and commerce, quality supervision, medicine supervision and commodity inspection. But unclear organizational divisions and responsibilities reduce the efficacy of their administrations. The resulting loose controls open the door to problematic products.
　　There are two necessary changes needed to solve the China’s food and drug safety issues. First, an early warning mechanism should be set up. Second, an accountability system for involved departments should also be established.
　　To build an early warning system for product recalls, the laws and regula- tions concerning food safety should be improved to prevent potential harm to consumers and guarantee the system’s effectiveness. An online database accessible to both consumers and governmental departments needs to be designed to collect and manage public information and policies concerning food safety. An advanced warning system for food safety should also be introduced. Additionally, a risk analysis model and method suitable to China should be set up. It should reference Western countries.
　　There are many blank areas in the laws and regulations currently guiding accountability in food safety supervision. China needs to fix this by building a better system and improving the related laws. Other accountability systems are also indispensable to ensuring bureaucratic efficacy. These include accountability from China’s top legislature, judicial departments, media and citizens.
　　China should also focus its attentions on establishing remediation policies. A mature accountability system should have relevant measures that remedy and prevent further harm. Whether officials who make mistakes may return to their jobs, or whether they need to be suspended for a predetermined amount of time, the democratic processes behind these decisions all need to be clearly defined.