Improving Vegetable Safety in China: Does Co-Regulation Work?

Abstract

In the last decade, vegetable safety issues have received growing attention from both consumers and public authorities in China, as vegetable safety hazards pose a serious threat to public health. In 2017, the Industry & Trade Bureau in China implemented a “Market Renovation Program”. This program includes the renovation of wholesale and wet markets, the formal registration of all stallholders in these markets and the introduction of a rapid test for pesticides residues. We apply the co-regulation framework to assess the implementation and results of the renovation program on the safety of vegetables. A mixed methods approach is used to investigate the effects of the renovation program. The qualitative study elaborates on the implementation of the renovation program and the behavioural changes of stakeholders in handling vegetables through interviews and field observations. The quantitative results confirm that the renovation program has a positive impact on vegetable safety. In conclusion, this study shows that the key factor for the success of the renovation program is the transition of authority from the local, public authority to the market management.

Genetic Algorithms Application for Pricing Optimization in Commodity Markets

“…In recent years, as living standards have risen, there has been a growing pursuit of a better quality of life [1]. When it comes to fresh commodities like vegetables, people typically turn to fresh food superstores or vegetable markets for their purchases [2].…”

Multi-Pesticide Residue Analysis Method Designed for the Robot Experimenters

“…Multi-residue pesticide analysis is one of the most important analytical technologies involved in the global food trade and food safety supervision . With the continuous growth of global trade and the use of new pesticides in food products, the number of pesticide residues being monitored in food commodities is constantly getting larger. − Due to the costs incurred for monitoring, the prices of food products have also been influenced. Meanwhile, the additional analysis may reduce the shelf life of perishable foods, which will potentially affect their sales. , Therefore, a large-scale, standardized, automated, and analytical approach has been perused and become a development direction in multi-pesticide residue analysis. ,− Additionally, the fifth point explicitly in the Green Analytical Chemistry rules also calls for miniaturization and automation of methods .…”

Reducing food safety hazards in China: a food system approach

“…Researchers also found that large supermarket chains provided vegetables at a significantly higher safety level compared with small-scale grocery stores (Alita et al, 2020). Moreover, it was shown that upstream wholesalers have an impact on the food safety level as the vegetables provided by larger wholesale markets were found to be safer than from smaller ones (Alita et al, 2021) because the larger markets established closer coregulation schemes with the local government.…”

“…This chapter is based on the paper published as: Alita, L.,Dries, L., & Oosterveer, P. (2021). Improving Vegetable Safety in China: Does Co-Regulation Work?.…”