China and Italy to discuss food safety

15 ottobre 2015

2 min di lettura

(AGI) Beijing, Oct 15 - Food safety, quality of food productionand consumer health are issues on which Italy and China havebuilt a fruitful relationship over the years, to be renewed onFriday with the "Third China-Italy Food Safety Dialogue". Theevent has been organised by the Italian Embassy in China inpartnership with the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA)and with the contribution of the Italian Institute for ForeignTrade (ICE), the Italian Chamber of Commerce in China and ChinaEconomic Net, on the occasion of World Food Day. This year willbe dedicated to pigmeat in particular and the conditions topromote true excellence, inspired by the innovative productionprocesses used successfully in Italy. Inaugurated by AmbassadorEttore Francesco Sequi, and Vice President of the CFDA GuoWenqi, the event will include representatives from the ItalianMinistry of Health and Italian and Chinese associations. Itwill discuss not only the traceability of products, the coldchain and appropriate consumer information campaigns but alsoaccess to the Chinese market for Italian food products andregulatory systems to ensure food safety. The afternoon willalso include a session dedicated to the exchange of informationand experience between meat sector businesses in the twocountries. The initiative is a follow-up to the agenda agreedbetween Rome and Beijing at the Joint Commission in March,attended by Deputy Minister of Economic Development, CarloCalenda, and to the government committee in April, co-chairedby Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni. It also fits in thebroader context of cooperation between the authorities of thetwo countries, to continue with an inspection by the Chineseimport quality control authority (AQSIQ) of pig factories inNorthern Italy. The aim is to open further the respectivedomestic markets by overcoming existing barriers to trade; thehopeful scenario includes authorisation of Italian pigmeat forexport to China. (AGI).