Today in China and around the world, the food system is changing, and the importance of food safety is at an all-time high. It remains the foremost priority for stakeholders in every country, including food enterprises, regulatory agencies and consumers. As a Chinese proverb says, “Food is a person’s paramount need; when dining, safety is the priority.” The Chinese food industry operates on the premise that ensuring food safety can gradually achieve the transformation of the food safety industry. Consequently, it is vital to ensure people’s health and make contributions to China’s food safety system.

In that spirit, the Walmart Food Safety Collaboration Center (WFSCC) recently sponsored food safety workshops in Beijing and Shanghai to bring together local and international food safety experts to discuss the effective use of microbiological testing. Led by experts from the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF), the workshops explored the role that this testing plays in ensuring food safety in the rapidly changing 21st century world.

(Expert Panel Discussion at the Workshop on the Role of Microbiological Testing to Ensure Food Safety, Beijing)

(Participants at the Workshop on Microbiological Risk Control and Food Safety Guarantees, Shanghai)

Gathering Industry Experts
Discussing the Food Safety Development Plan
Microbiological testing can be applied at all stages of food production, from farms to manufacturing facilities to the retail level. When using microbiological tests to evaluate the safety of a food, it’s important to select the appropriate test and criteria with knowledge of their limitations, their benefits, and the purposes for which they are intended.

Food experts from Canada, the United States, China, Australia, the Netherlands and the UAE met in Beijing and Shanghai. Representatives of academia, industry, and research institutions explored issues as diverse as the role of microbial hazard controls, the latest in food safety testing protocols, and testing technology suited to the 21st century food system.

Here are some of the eye-catching idea explored during the two workshops:

“Given the global trade in food today, national governments can no longer solely rely on their own regulatory systems. It is important that they work together with trading partners in the development of equivalent standards to protect the safety of their own consumers and to help facilitate trade.”

“Walmart has championed the concept of food safety culture and it has been a pleasure to work with them in this collaborative effort with the Chinese regulatory authorities.”

Prof. Martin Cole

Deputy Director of CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Australia

“Focusing on process control and environmental testing are the cornerstones of an effective food safety control program.”

“Sanitation and equipment design, along with environmental testing, are the keys to controlling Listeria in your ready-to-eat facilities.”

Dr. Jeff Farber, Professor, Dept. of Food Science

Director, Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety (CRIFS)

Spotlight on the Food Safety Industry Chain
Joint Development of Prevention & Testing
The gathered experts discussed the idea of the food industry working toward a risk-based testing system, which will increase the efficiency of the food supply chain while allocating resources where they are most needed. The group also agreed that prevention is equal in importance to testing, and that both approaches should go hand-in-hand for the truly effective control of food safety risks. In many instances, preventive measures are much more effective than testing at assuring the safety of foods.

The workshops showcased the WFSCC’s ongoing commitment to bringing global thought leaders together with government, academia, research and representatives of other industry in China to support the cause of food safety for all. As food supply chains continue to grow increasingly complex in an interconnected and digitized economy, the WFSCC will keep seeking out similar opportunities to give all stakeholders the tools they need to address food safety challenges in the 21st century effectively and efficiently.