Recent research shows that China's food safety still needs to be improved. The columnist Jiang Gaoming believes that organic production is a solution to the problem. Here, he explains how to make a change.

Not long ago, Greenpeace purchased daily vegetables as ordinary consumers in large supermarkets and farmers' markets in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, and sent them to a state authorized independent third-party testing agency in Qingdao for testing. The results showed that pesticide residues were detected in 40 of 45 vegetable samples; There are up to 50 kinds of pesticides, five of which are highly toxic pesticides confirmed by the World Health Organization. There were 13 pesticides left on a strawberry in a Wal Mart supermarket in Beijing (The Bund Pictorial, June 8).

it happens that there is a similar case. The "Mrs. Yao Roasted Eel" and "Mrs. Yao Roasted Small Yellow Croaker" produced by a famous food enterprise in Hangzhou have recently been found by the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce to be over standard in sulfite, and unqualified batches of products have been withdrawn from the Beijing market. In addition, 4 batches of food from 4 enterprises were found unqualified. Among them, sulfite, sodium cyclamate, saccharin sodium, benzoic acid and other food additives exceeded the standard (Daily Economic News, June 10).

In just one or two years, events such as lean pork, melamine tainted milk powder, (quasi) insulin like growth factor (IGF-1) milk have been frequently exposed to the media. "What else can I eat?" The common people's question reflects their distrust of food safety.

Pesticide residues in vegetables were expected by the author, and what surprised me was that they had become so serious. Things in the world are afraid to be serious. As long as they are carefully investigated, the problem food will be known to the world. However, why can pesticides enter the food chain on a large scale? According to the author's long-term observation, the following reasons are the main ones.

First, manufacturers only produce, and they do not consume their own products. Farmers do not eat their own vegetables, which are sold to others; Chicken and pig farmers do not eat their own chicken and pork. They buy meat at the market when necessary. It would be dangerous if everyone thought so. There is a joke that makes me laugh. The main idea of this joke is that two people drink together. One is a vegetable farmer and the other is a pig farmer. They use their own products to make drinks and vegetables. When the food is served, the pork farmers do not eat their own pork, but choose the other's vegetables; The vegetable growers do not eat their own vegetables, but choose the pork of each other. It is an indisputable fact that the vegetables and grains that farmers leave for themselves do not use medicine or fertilizer. At present, in the countryside, farmers are invited to important activities such as engagement, weddings and funerals. The villagers laugh at anyone who treats guests with chickens from a chicken farm, and they will not be able to stand up in the village. The chicken in the chicken farm is sold to the city, and the city people have no choice.

Second, the production cost of high-quality agricultural products is high, and the operators are unwilling to market safe food with slightly higher cost. According to the classification of the agricultural sector, food is divided into organic, green, pollution-free and ordinary food. The cost of production of these foods is quite different, so the price difference is also large. If it is stipulated that organic food production cannot have chemical substances added, pesticides are naturally not allowed to be used, so the production cost increases. However, due to lax management, many foods with "organic" or "green" brands are actually ordinary foods. Only the external trademark is true, but the content is false. Fake products have the lowest cost and large profit margins. Many businesses are willing to sell them, including some large supermarkets.

Third, it is impossible for consumers to test the purchased food. It is an extravagant hope to control pesticides from the consumer terminal. Although the newly issued Food Safety Law stipulates that consumers can claim more than 10 times of compensation if they find harmful agricultural products. However, it is very difficult for ordinary consumers to spend thousands of yuan to find a third party to identify food for a few yuan or tens of yuan. In terms of food consumption, consumers are obviously vulnerable groups. As long as the supermarket sells anything, they will buy anything. The only hope is that the quality inspection department will "protect" their health.

Fourth, serious problems have arisen in the agricultural production mode. Large pesticides, large chemical fertilizers, herbicides, additives and agricultural film are the "conventional weapons" of modern agriculture. At present, relevant departments are actively popularizing the "new weapons" of genetically modified crops. Out of season fruit and vegetable production aggravates the drug residues in agricultural products; The "crash course" of animals shortened the life cycle of chickens, ducks, geese and other birds to 28~45 days and pigs to 2.5~4 months. These planting and breeding patterns, which seriously violate the biological laws, are rampant, flooding urban and rural food with various pesticides, hormones and additives.

Fifth, the supervision is not strong enough to control food pollution from the source. As the production of agricultural products is mostly operated by farmers, and the distribution channels are various, it is difficult to supervise food safety. At present, most of the practices are regulated at the end of supermarkets or farmers' markets, but pesticides and additives have already been mixed into food; After all, there are only a few of them, and most of them will become "fish in the net". Even if the problem food is detected, the local government departments, in order to stabilize the people's mood, mostly "say small things, but don't report small things", or often prevaricate. We must give full play to civilian supervision to keep pesticides, hormones and harmful additives away from health.

Sixth, scientists have not played a very good role. Those dazzling pesticides and additives are mostly new inventions of scientists. Scientists deliberately exaggerate the positive effects of their inventions and hide their negative effects. Melamine is a masterpiece of scientists who lack conscience. At present, the inventions of many chemists, biologists and agronomists aim at the food production that is vital to human life, which makes people feel very uneasy.

In fact, it is not difficult to say goodbye to pesticides and fertilizers. Organic agriculture is a good way out. The difficulty is that high-quality food cannot be sold at the price of high-quality food, so businesses will reduce costs to operate this vital food industry. Punishment alone will not make much difference. A reasonable mechanism must be formed to strengthen the management of the producer. When consumers buy food, they should "recognize the place and the person", and the independent third party should authenticate. A strict annual inspection system should be implemented. When farmers produce food in a healthy environment, consumers should "pay" for the increased cost. Of course, this is a conscious action through the market. "Let some of them eat first" may as well start from organic agriculture. If the number of pure organic food on the market increases and the demand of ordinary citizens for healthy and safe food increases, then the day when we say goodbye to pesticides will not be far away.

We strongly call for safe and secure food, which must be produced in a healthy ecological process. To achieve this, we must gradually say goodbye to pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, additives, agricultural film, and transgenic plants. The cost and labor invested can be compensated through the sale of healthy organic food, and the deteriorating rural ecological environment can be repaired through the conscious consumption of consumers.