Food Security Problems in China
“I will not eat it, even if you beat me up or starve me to death.”
This is a quote not from an anorexic or a hunger striker, but from a food producer talking about his own products made with ‘gutter oil.’
While food supply and food security have always been major global concerns, the problems are even more complicated and severe China for its desire of quick economic growth and reformation plans such as urbanization. Chinese leaders can always find themselves in the dilemma of balancing economic growth with environmental concern, as well as the dilemma of feeding 20% of world population with 7% of arable land. According to a research conducted by Insight China magazine and Tsinghua University, more than 70% of Chinese respondent expressed their primary concern over food insecurity.
This report, therefore, analyzes China’s top two contemporary food safety issues: illegal additives and environmental contamination. According to China Food Security Development Report, over 227,000 cases of the food security incident have occurred within the past ten decades (2005-2014), 75% of which are man-made, such as illegal cooking oil. On the other hand, factors contribute to food insecurity in China in regards to the environment including water, land, and air contamination, pesticide residue, decreasing arable land, etc. Next, it will discuss the causes that contribute to these two major problems from the social, political and economic scale as well as their impacts. Following which, possible solutions with an estimated budget will be put forward.