Japanese media： Why is it difficult to eradicate waste oil in China？

Japanese Economic News Network June 1 article, original title: The root cause of repeated prohibition of waste oilThe China Municipal Government has strengthened the management of "gutter oil", and the main measures include rewarding and reporting. Although China hopes to revitalize the service industry and improve the quality of consumption, it is still difficult to eradicate the food safety problem that hinders the realization of the goal.

In 2010, gutter oil came into people’s field of vision for the first time as a serious social problem. The State Council City, China issued "Opinions on Strengthening the Regulation of Waste Oil and the Management of Kitchen Wastes", announcing that relevant illegal and criminal acts will be rectified positively. Seven years later, in late April, 2017, the State Council issued the Opinions on Further Strengthening the Governance of Waste Oil. Specifically, the government requires that the responsibilities of canteens of catering enterprises and administrative enterprises and institutions be clarified, kitchen wastes should be collected, relevant treatment facilities should be set up or external treatment should be entrusted, and surveillance cameras should be set up in kitchens and other places to record the waste treatment process. Strengthening the inspection of small restaurants and establishing a reward reporting system are also among them. Compared with seven years ago, restaurants in Beijing and Shanghai have obviously become cleaner. In the context of rising income, it is no longer uncommon for working-class people to spend sixty or seventy yuan for lunch.

However, the State Council’s work opinions this time show that behind the glamorous urban development, there are still people facing the threat of unhealthy food. The background of gutter oil, a simple illegal act to save costs, is the gap between the rich and the poor that has long affected China society. According to the data of the National Bureau of Statistics as of the end of April, the number of rural migrant workers in China increased by 1.5% year-on-year to 280 million last year. Although the growth rate has slowed down, the number of people has continued to increase. For many migrant workers, it is impossible to spend sixty or seventy yuan a day to eat a meal. There is a social demand for ultra-low-cost diet, and gutter oil has also quietly come. The essence of food safety lies in the social structure in which people who are forced to endure dangerous food still exist in large numbers. And gutter oil is just one aspect of this social contradiction.

The State Council once again issued the opinions on the remediation of waste oil, which showed the government’s determination to solve the problem, but when and how to completely solve the problem is still unpredictable. (Author Yoshida Tadashi)