All animals are equal, but it seems some animals are more equal than others when it comes to food.

A Xinhua News Agency story covering the country's food producers' double standards for overseas and local markets is thought-provoking.

The country sets higher quality standards for food exports, as overseas countries require, than it does for the domestic market. It helps prevent food products with toxins from spreading beyond the country's borders.

Likewise when there is a high-profile international event in the country, we apply higher standards.

During the Olympic Games in 2008, Beijing set up a supervision system to analyze food additives and intensify management of the approval system and record-keeping of food additive enterprises. It traced food and food products to their origins and strictly monitored the use of fertilizer and pesticides.

It succeeded in keeping goods from companies that failed to meet the standards out of the market.

But, when the food products are solely for consumers in this country, the story is different. Then the food system is too vast to allow for meaningful inspection at all stages of the production process.

Quality controllers wait for samples submitted by manufacturers and there have been instances of tainted samples being approved following a cash incentive.

Food safety has again taken center stage following the recent scandals of the tainted steamed buns and pork containing the banned additives clenbuterol and ractopamine.

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress ratified a food safety law for the country in 2009. The law was introduced to streamline and strengthen food production quality. It highlighted more stringent and effective monitoring and supervision systems.

If the law were effectively enforced, we would have no worries about the quality of the food on our plates. However, it has clearly failed to regulate away the safety problems.

Manufacturers dare to use all kinds of additives, despite the potential penalties and damage to their reputation if discovered. It is their way to reduce costs and maximize profits.

The government has failed to get to the bottom of all the various food safety incidents. It needs to take appropriate action to ensure that manufacturers produce high-quality food that consumers can trust. The existing problems with food safety in this country do not stem from lack of regulation; they stem from lack of enforcement.

It is time to apply the same standards to food products for domestic consumption as we do those for overseas.

Chinese consumers should be able to eat safe food the same as foreigners.

(China Daily 04/21/2011 page8)