Food safety is now the biggest concern for most Chinese people. Photo provided to China Daily
More than a century ago, when food adulteration was a big problem in the United States, chemist Harvey Wiley advocated food safety through public awareness and strong policy measures.
As a result, the federal Food and Drug Administration was founded for consumer protection.
Chen Qiaoling hopes to do the same in China.
But when the Beijing resident took the lengthy manuscript of her book, China's Compiled Food Safety Incidents, to publishers, almost everyone refused it, citing the lack of commercial viability.
"They said nobody will read it," says Chen, who founded Yueyaduo.com, an online food-safety platform in 2012, and now studies business at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
"Not only editors but also my parents, friends and other people around me responded the same way."
She worked in the financial sector before joining the MBA program. Her studies stalled during the writing of her book.
Still, after some struggle, she funded the book's publication with her own money last December and placed a version online as well. To her surprise, the 200 offline books sold out quickly.
In addition, many Web users liked her book.
"Initially we planned to give the book to relevant organizations for free and didn't expect so many people would purchase it," she says.
"There are also some food companies and officials from the China Food and Drug Administration who contacted me for the book."
Publication came after three years of research by Chen and her team.
They interviewed nearly 100 companies from the food industry, looked up media reports on food safety incidents and then compiled this material under 26 categories of scandals, including those associated with the rise of toxicity in food and drinks owing to polluted air, soil and water; the use of pesticides, preservatives and additives; and the sale of bad meat.
Besides listing incidents, the book also explains how foods become unsafe and what the hazards are of consuming them. It gives tips for telling the difference between good and bad food.
