Frozen Food '07 menu serves Chinese takeout & more.

By all accounts, the first running of Frozen Food '07 was well received. Held just before this magazine's Golden Ice Crystal Awards Ceremony during the Anuga in Cologne, Germany [which you can read about on pages 80 and 81], the session served up a wealth of useful information. The European private label retail market was addressed by Arjan Both of Amsterdam, Holland-headquartered AMS Sourcing BV, while developments in the foodservice sector were covered in detail by Andreas Kruger of Hochheim am Main, Germany-based Sodexho Catering & Service GmbH.

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Lily Noon, president of Noon International, provided an insightful analysis of the state of the world's largest market and export powerhouse. She certainly knows a lot about China, as the Danville, California-based company run with her CEO husband Edward has been buying and selling Chinese frozen food products for more than 30 years. Today the PRC's food industry is increasingly under the microscopes of scrutinizing trading partners the world over, following a rash of food safety concerns in 2007. Ms. Noon outlined the main sticking points of the crisis in credibility as follows:

* High pesticide residues.

* Heavy metal pollution in soils and water.

* Small food production facilities with fragmented supply sources.

* Huge divide between local governments, which are responsible for regional food safety, and the central government in Beijing.

With the above in mind, here is what importers and users of Chinese frozen food products may continue to expect in the coming months:

* Significant cost increases from producers as tighter specifications, quality processes and inspections are put into place. Government officials can and will conduct onsite inspections of manufacturing facilities and sales offices in China, suspending activities if violations are found.

* For any export violations, including rejections, plants will be shut down if the issues cannot be resolved. If it is a pesticide or heavy metal problem in the soil, the growing area will be restricted and some re-licensing may be allowed-depending on the factory's performance.

* Significant time delays will be experienced by importers, as exporters wait for governmental approvals.

* New procedures on import inspections. In the USA, importers and further processors will be responsible when asked to provide detailed life cycle traceability on products or ingredients.

* You must ensure that product imported from China meets all safety standards of your particular country. From a legal point of view, you are the manufacturer.

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Many small to medium size importers may soon vanish due to threats of potential recalls or lawsuits, according to Ms. Noon. At the same time, some Chinese facilities will be absorbed into larger entities or dill disappear.

Following the storm, however, a morning calm is forecast. "We believe the government of China will take advantage of this current situation to improve food safety status for exports, and changes will be driven internally by the new middle class as well," said Ms. Noon. "Many Japanese, Europeans and Americans have built and are building more sophisticated frozen food plants in China, and are introducing, teaching and insisting on high quality standards. One cannot help but remember what 'Made in Japan' meant just 50 years ago. Rest assured it will be no different in China--except it will happen with much greater speed."

By JOHN M. SAULNIER, QFFI Chief Editor & Publisher