Before Chongqing became China's fourth municipality directly under the central government, the inland city nestling in the country's southwest had already been very famous --- partly for its food, especially its spicy hot pot.

The weather here is foggy, damp and changeable. One who takes an umbrella on a bright morning, like a Londoner does, finds oneself lucky at dusk when it begins to rain. Residents here develop their appetite for spicy food to resist the dampness.

But that makes a great challenge for the government to ensure the food safety. Scores of ingredients are needed to prepare the hot pot soup and there is no unified recipient. Nearly each restaurant offers its own formula.

Rural residents account for as much as 80 percent of the population in Chongqing. And many hot pot restaurants are run by farmers or the unemployed. All of these have added difficulty to the government watchdog to watch over food safety.

Mr. Xia Yang, Vice Director of the local Food and Drug Administration, acknowledged in an interview with People's Daily Online recently that he and his colleagues always had to make hard decisions.

"We have to ensure the food is safe on one hand and take care of those underprivileged on the other," he said. He released that the municipal government was considering a program to help those small businesses improve their quality.

Hot pot is also an important cash cow for the city. The business generates some 7 to 8 billion yuan per year and creates hundreds of thousands of jobs. It is also regarded an integral part of the Chinese cuisine culture.

Last year a Hot Pot Culture Festival held here in Chongqing attracted guests from Japan and South Korea. Small Swan, a name brand hot pot restaurants, has made its presence in Europe, the US, and Canada.

As food trade is increasing in the world, the issue of food safety is global. Dr. Gerald Moy, a WHO expert recognized that at the UK-China Food Safety Seminar in Chongqing. The seminar was held when the whole country was guarding against Sudan Red, an industrial dye illegally used as food color. It was jointly sponsored by the British Consulate General in Chongqing and local Food and Drug Administration.

Hundreds of representatives from local and national food and drug watchdogs, research institutes and enterprises from Chongqing and its neighboring provinces in southwest China attended the conference. The event also marks the launch of the UK-China Partners in Science in southwest China, a one-year campaign to promote the Sino-UK partnership in the 21st century.

Food safety is one of the top agendas of the year long campaign. This is the first time that Chongqing has an opportunity of international exchange on food safety. Mr. Xia said this communication would help them define responsibilities of each department concerned more clearly with law and build their own food safety system.

The fact that Sudan Red was first found in the UK where food was put under strict surveillance and then in world��s name brands like Heinz and Kentucky Fried Chicken evidenced how serious the problem is in the world.

Mr. Colin Houston, Deputy Head of Enforcement Division, UK Food Standard Agency, gave a presentation at the UK-China Food Safety Seminar. He participates into the investigation into the Sudan Red case in the UK. He strongly advised that surveillance over Sudan Red be taken as a regular and permanent task.

Although Chongqing residents love spicy food, they prepare pepper sauce by themselves and do not use food color. This makes Xia's office feel relieved when Sudan Red, which was not spicy, was generally used to make spicy seasoning look attractive.

Right after receiving notice from the National Food and Drug Administration, the local government took quick action to check the market. They found a few tons of such material. And no more has been found since then.

However, Xia and his colleagues must keep on the alert. Kentucky Fried Chicken, which is very popular and has franchisees around the country, has been found to sell food with Sudan Red. Kentucky Fried Chicken has stopped that offer. But Chinese consumers are still angry because they have had it before that and a very large number of the consumers are kids. There are KFC restaurants in Chongqing.

And Sudan Red has also been found in thick broad bean sauce, a seasoning normally included in formula of hot pot soup, although not made by Chongqing producers.

Xia recalled the lesson they learned from the incident in 2004. Instant hot pot soup which was sold around China was found to include wax which may cause cancer. Media launched extensive reports about it and consumers boycotted it throughout the country. Chongqing hot pot faced unprecedented confidence crisis.

As a matter of fact, the local Hot Pot Association set a package of standards for hot pot production at the end of 2003, the first in China. But it did not take wax into account. "No one can predict what would be added into the soup and there is no way so far to detect all ingredients immediately ," a local official explained at that time.

The municipal government launched a sweeping crackdown. Within a month a fast testing technique was successfully developed to detect wax in hot pot soup which can have a result within an hour. Source of raw materials, processing, and sales must be traceable for instant hot pot soup which are required to carry QS (quality safety) sign.

Xia stressed the important role that the Hot Pot Association played in the campaign. He thought that the association had contributed a lot to have ��honesty mentality�� prevail and set standards. He planned to promote this model to other catering business.

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine promised recently to take 10 measures to protect the interests and rights of consumers. Half of them are directly targeted at food, including the market access for food producers, compulsory national standards, a sweeping crackdown on small businesses churning out fake and shoddy food, a fast response system to risks of imported food and a health protection system at customs.

China has set threshold for producers making food under 28 categories. And at the end of last year its rules for food safety control system based on HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) was put into effect.

Government agencies like Xia's are not responsible for any specific tasks in the process of food safety supervision. At present, scores of government departments, such as those responsible for the agriculture, commercial circulation, quality supervision and health care, are involved into the whole process ranging from the food production to consumption, that is, from farm to table. Their duties are not identified clearly.

That's why Xia's office has been created. His office is responsible for organizing concerted interactions between government departments concerned to make sure that food on the market is safe for people to eat.

He released that the newly established department he worked for would take several measures in the period to follow. They will put a corporate credit system in place, strengthen their cooperation with enforcement departments, and open an efficient and unified information discloser channel. "Officials who do not perform their duties properly will be identified and punished. The key is to have an effective system. That is what we are trying to do now."he added.

He urged responsibilities of each department concerned be defined by law. A pilot project is underway in Shanghai. For the first time in China food and drug are under the control of one administration. Will the food and drug administration be put into more legal teeth in the future on food and drug supervision? Xia and his colleagues are not sure about answer to this question.

By People's Daily Online