Hongkou District Builds the First Traceable Grain Store in Shanghai

Shanghai has adopted a food safety traceability system for vegetable and meat. Now, Shanghai citizens could also know the traceability of rice. Recently, the first traceable grain store in Shanghai has been established in Hongkou District. With a simple traceability code, citizens could not only know the place of origin of rice products, but could also find out whether the rice products they have purchased are newly-produced rice or rice being stocked for many years.
Our reporter visited this newly-built grain store on Jixiang Road on February 4 and saw many people purchasing rice in this store. Mr. Tang is one of them. He heard about that all rice products in this store have proof of identification. He purchased 5 kilograms of long-grain fragrant rice and verified the origin of the rice on the traceability platform in the store.
The shop assistants said that apart from looking up the origin of rice on the traceability platform, consumers could also know the origin of rice on “Shanghai Meat and Vegetable Circulation Safety Network” according to the “Food Traceability Codes” on the packages of rice products.
Currently, more than 80% of grains being sold in Shanghai came from other cities and provinces, and it is difficult for consumers to trace back the origin of food. But all important information will be available in a food safety traceability system, including the information of manufacturing, processing and circulation. Once any problem has been detected, the government could trace the origin of food in time and prevent it from entering the market, and secure the food safety of citizens.
As a Practical Project of Shanghai Municipal Government in 2013, the grain traceability system will be further promoted in Shanghai in 2013.
(By: Sun Jiejing)