The 21st century modernisation of China’s food system has led to major upheaval in a country where most of the population is only one generation removed from subsistence agriculture. China’s food processing and retail sectors have grown at an extremely rapid pace since the 1990s, but agriculture remains dominated by small-scale farms. This article discusses the quality and safety problems arising from the lack of coordination between agricultural producers, processors and retailers. It describes quality problems that emerged in the export of apple juice concentrate and a conflict in the pork industry between demand for lean pork and use of banned pharmaceuticals as feed additives. A new program encouraging supermarket chains to purchase produce directly from farms recognises the importance of direct interaction between final users and agricultural producers. Finally, the experience of a company supplying fruit to a multinational supermarket chain shows that Chinese growers can supply quality products, but the case also illustrates the costly testing, monitoring, training and guidance required.
展开▼
