Making a difference
Chen Qiaoling's team has expanded as it attracted the interest of several government employees and food majors at universities.
"It is surprising to see that they were so approving of our work," she said.
"We can share with them the common risks in the food industry, while we can learn from their law enforcement experience," she said.
The 200 copies of the book they published sold out within one month, and more were recently reprinted this month.
The organization is researching the possibility of establishing a platform between the consumer and people who work in the food industry "to ensure that restaurants that apply the higher standards will be rewarded with economic stimulus," she said.
She gave the example of vendors that sell fried breadsticks. "Many of them were unaware that the oil they use to fry the breadsticks cannot be used again and again. And many had no idea of how often they should change the oil they use," she said.
She also noted that many small business owners were willing to produce good food products, but did not know how to do it.
"If we talk to the experts, and then draft a standard process for the production of healthy products, and put it in a manual they can easily understand, then maybe we can make the whole industry much better," she said.
But Sun Huanping, the former activist, said food activists can only play a supporting role in the official supervision effort.
"Sometimes you want to take the matters over. But you find that you cannot even enter the doors of the business owners.
"The best thing we can do is to tell the consumers to be on guard at all times," he said.
