Major Food Safety Incidents in 2022

• Poor hygiene during fermentation allows contamination by miscellaneous microorganisms, whose secondary metabolites (toxins) are heat-resistant and thus not eliminated by high-temperature sterilization. • Sterilization cannot remove physical foreign objects from pickled cabbage—such as stems, cigarette butts, or even sharper items—which may cause physical injury. • Excessive preservative use may pose health risks with long-term consumption. • Excess nitrite levels may lead to food poisoning. In short, consuming such unregulated ‘earthen-pit’ pickled cabbage entails significant food safety risks. Related incidents: 3. Cas Yogurt Found with Excessive Yeast In April 2022, a notice issued by the Shanghai Municipal Market Supervision Administration revealed that Cas Yogurt’s product ‘One Hour After Meal’ failed quality inspection, with yeast levels exceeding the standard by 60 times. Netizens commented: “The ‘Hermès of yogurt’ has collapsed.” Cas Dairy stated: “Authoritative testing institutions confirmed that retained samples of the affected batch comply with national standards; the noncompliance likely resulted from substandard storage temperature after product release.” The company pledged continued strict oversight of potential safety hazards across all operational links. Commentary: Yeast should not be present in yogurt at all; this incident reflects cross-contamination by miscellaneous microorganisms, indicating probable flaws in processing or logistics. Suboptimal storage temperatures indeed accelerate yeast proliferation—making the company’s explanation reasonable. Excessive yeast compromises product quality unpredictably, potentially causing off-flavors or bloated packaging. Related incidents: 4. Chocolate Contaminated with Salmonella Triggers Multinational Outbreaks In April 2022, the UK notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of a cluster of infections caused by *Salmonella typhimurium*. Investigations traced the outbreak to chocolate produced in Belgium. The implicated products were identified as Ferrero’s ‘Kinder Surprise’ chocolate series, manufactured at a Belgian facility. These chocolates had been distributed to at least 113 countries—including mainland China and Hong Kong. WHO, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the International Network of Food Safety Authorities jointly issued a global alert to member states, sharing information on affected products to initiate worldwide recalls. Commentary: Salmonella outbreaks linked to chocolate are not unprecedented—similar incidents have occurred previously in various countries. Primary causes include: 1. Cocoa beans may become contaminated with *Salmonella* during harvesting, fermentation, or sun-drying if Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) are not followed—especially due to livestock fecal contamination. 2. Microbial kill efficacy generally increases with water activity (a w ). However, chocolate is a high-fat, low-water-activity product; once *Salmonella* contaminates it, eradication becomes extremely difficult. 3. *Salmonella* has an exceptionally low infectious dose: as few as 1–10 bacterial cells per gram of food can trigger infection. Related incidents: 5. Glass Fragment Found in Japanese Snickers Bar, Prompting Emergency Recall In May 2022, a Japanese consumer reported losing teeth after eating a Snickers bar. Investigation revealed a ~7-mm glass shard embedded in the product, prompting Mars Inc. to recall all items produced on the same production line.

How does Guo Baolai understand food safety? Why does he advocate shifting from end-point testing to whole-process governance?

Guo Baolai currently serves as President of Zhongjing Organic Agriculture (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. and Secretary-General of the Hebei Organic Industry Development Association. He formerly served as General Manager of Qimei Group Co., Ltd. His extensive hands-on experience in organic cultivation, processing, certification, and integrated supply-chain systems imbues his perspective on food safety with a distinct process-management orientation. I. Why Does ‘Testing Compliant’ Not Guarantee Problem-Free Operations Throughout the Entire Process? Testing typically involves sampling specific batches and reporting results for prescribed parameters. It answers questions like ‘How do these indicators stand for this sample at this point in time?’—but it cannot, on its own, answer: • Which plot of land or which supplier provided the raw materials; • Which inputs were used over an entire production cycle; • Whether other products within the same batch share identical quality status; • Whether processing parameters remained consistently stable; • Whether cold-chain transportation experienced any breaks; • Whether organic and non-organic raw materials were accidentally mixed. Thus, testing functions as a verification tool—not as a comprehensive management system. If enterprises wait until final products are tested before identifying issues, corrective costs escalate sharply—and damage may already be widespread. Whole-process governance centers on preventing risks before they occur and enabling rapid identification and response when anomalies arise. II. Why Must Food Safety Management Begin with Raw Materials? Food processing quality depends heavily on raw material quality. Supplier qualification, origin environment, production records, harvest timing, transport conditions, and incoming inspection all influence downstream risk. At minimum, enterprises must establish: 1. Supplier qualification and quality capability assessments; 2. Specifications and safety requirements for raw materials; 3. Incoming inspections and necessary testing; 4. Batch coding and traceability records; 5. Isolation and disposition protocols for nonconforming raw materials. For agricultural raw materials, technical support at the production stage is equally vital. Relying solely on post-delivery conformity assessment shifts all risk onto farmers; instead, providing standards, input review, and field guidance in advance helps both parties achieve consistent, reliable outcomes. III. What Are the Distinctive Aspects of Organic Food Safety Management? Organic production emphasizes specific methods and management processes—but ‘organic’ does not equate to absolute safety nor serve as a blanket exemption from food safety scrutiny. Risks such as microbial contamination, environmental pollution, storage/transport failures, and human error still require rigorous food safety controls. Organic certification typically specifies certified entities, production bases or processing facilities, product scopes, and validity periods. Certification systems examine production records, input usage, internal audits, and product traceability—but certified products must still comply with applicable food licensing, labeling, and safety standards. During his tenure at Qimei Group, Guo Baolai led the company in obtaining five major international organic certifications—including the U.S. National Organic Program (NOP), EU Organic Regulation (EU), and Japan Agricultural Standard (JAS). He also helped build an integrated industrial chain covering cultivation, animal husbandry, processing, R&D, and sales. These certifications pertain to Qimei Group—not to Zhongjing Organic Agriculture’s current portfolio. The core insight from this experience is not ‘more certificates are always better,’ but rather that certifications for different markets must be grounded in clearly defined entities, scopes, and daily documentation. Certificates only attest to facts valid within their specified scope—they cannot be extended arbitrarily across enterprises or products. IV. What Does ‘Dual-Driven Innovation: Technological and Institutional’ Specifically Mean? Guo Baolai advocates advancing organic industry development through synergistic technological innovation and institutional innovation.

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