Government Food Safety Requires a Proactive Stance

Government Food Safety Requires a Proactive Stance
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
October 15, 2014

Executive Summary: To solve Taiwan's food safety problems, one  must leave behind crisis management and political calculation. The food industry must become proactive. The National Security Council must not be reduced to a talk show. The President must not try to be a talk show host. Wei Chuan must understand crisis management. The Presidential Office must understand proactive strategy.

Full Text Below:

The Wei Chuan Corporation contracted out three times a year. This of course is not something that can simply be explained away as  "poor management." Its actions have sparked outrage on Taiwan. Many people, including celebrities, journalists, government officials, and NGOs are boycotting the company's products. This newspaper recently criticized Wei Chuan in its editorials. We think the domestic food industry lacks social responsibility. Its indifference to Taiwan has ignited a firestorm, and it has only itself to blame. Following the Wei Chuan food safety scandal, President Ma Ying-jeou convened a National Security Council meeting. The council called for an "all peoples boycott of Wei Chuan" that left onlookers dumbfounded. Its action can be viewed from three angles. We hope an alternative to this populist and demagogic "all peoples open season on Wei Chuan" can be found.

First of all, the boycott of Wei Chuan-related businesses by the general public and talking heads is a perfectly natural social phenomenon. But it is inappropriate for the president, as the leader of the nation, as a patriarch to all the people, to goad 99% of the public to boycott 1% of the public who operated unethical businesses. Wei Chuan's crimes have legal recourse and administrative penalties. These are reasonable means the government can adopt that are consistent with the rule of law. In any case, the corporate staff, from the boss on down, are still people of Taiwan. The President of the Republic of China represents all of the people on Taiwan. He must "see the people as if they were his children." The educational world has a slogan: "No child left behind."  Even gang members and junkies are not excluded. The Head of State represents everyone in the country. He cannot treat some people as if they were "The Others." That is the proper attitude for a  patriarch.

Secondly, the National Security Council made a great show of discussing food safety. Its conclusion was a myopic  "all peoples' boycott." It merely  highlighted the Ma administration's myopia about  national security. Taiwan's food safety may be poor. But at least it is better than food safety management on the Mainland. Mainlanders take advantage of this when they travel to other regions. When they visit Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, or other locales, they stock up on milk powder and other goods. As we can see,  1.4 billion people have doubts about  food safety on the Mainland. Information about  food safety on Taiwan is readily available. We could well become a successful repackager, certifier, recorder, and quality control center for many consumer products sold to 1.4 billion Chinese.

Over the past two years, three food safety crises have erupted. The  government on Taiwan has an opportunity to turn a crisis into an opportunity. It has an opportunity to certify and provide information about  key food products, including milk powder, cooking oil, and banned ingredients. It has an opportunity to estabish Taiwan as a leading certifier of product quality in the Chinese food market. Those in office must be proactive about the food industry. Otherwise they will be reduced to passively coping with food safety incidents again and again. Such an approach lacks vision. It also leaves one running on a treadmill, as a perpetual victim of changeable public opinion. The recent National Security Council call for an "all peoples boycott of Wei Chuan" is a case in point.

Finally, we must say a few words about Wei Chuan. The Wei brothers were able to establish themselves on the Mainland over the past 30 years. This means  they possess the extraordinary ability to manage costs and develop markets. But this sort of money sensitive business ability that chases after low overhead costs, is  also what got the company into its current crisis. The Wei  brothers may resign their chairmanships. They may shed tears. But neither will them the forgiveness of the Taiwan public. Only practical action, sincerity, and a determination to contribute to Taiwan society can do the trick. The Wei family could  donate a third or even half of its family assets to establish a Food Safety Fund on Taiwan. It could appoint persons to manage it in the name of social justice. It could help Taiwan build the world's best food safety testing, certification, company database, raw material control, quality certification, and cloud database. That would help ameliorate their transgressions. That would help society get past the incident and make new breakthroughs. Wherever one falls, one must get up. The illicit profits made by selling tainted foodstuffs should be used to establish a "Food Safety Cloud." That may be the only way to win back the hearts and minds of the Taiwan public.

In short, to solve Taiwan's food safety problems, one  must leave behind crisis management and political calculation. The food industry must become proactive. The National Security Council must not be reduced to a talk show. The President must not try to be a talk show host. Wei Chuan must understand crisis management. The Presidential Office must understand proactive strategy.

政府處理食安 要有正面思考與布局
【聯合報╱社論】
2014.10.15 02:04 am

頂新食品一年三次出包，當然絕對不是簡單一句「管理不善」所能諉飾，也激起了台灣人民的公憤，更有許多民眾、媒體、名人和機關團體發起抵制。本報社論近日也對頂新事件多所批評，認為業者欠缺社會責任，更輕忽對台灣這塊土地的珍惜與關懷，如今引發企業風暴如燎原之火，確實是咎由自取。然而在頂新食安危機後，馬英九總統日前召開國安會議，竟然得出一個「全民抵制頂新」的結論，令外界瞠目結舌。對於此事，我們可從三個角度切入分析，希望能在這一片「全民皆曰頂新可殺」的民粹風氣中，找到一個理想的解決方案。

首先，對於頂新與味全相關事業，民間的抵制與名嘴的批評都是社會情緒的自然呈現；但是總統作為國家的領導人、全民的大家長，卻不適合呼籲九十九％的多數人民去抵制一％表現不佳的少數不良企業。頂新的過錯，可以有司法追訴、有行政裁罰，這些都是政府合理的法治手段；但是無論如何，該企業上自老闆下至員工終究還是台灣人民。中華民國總統對於所有的台灣人民，還是要有「視民如子」的胸襟與高度。教育的標準口號是「不放棄任何一個孩子」（no child left behind），即使是混幫派、吸毒品的也不例外；國家元首對於全國人民，當然也不可以把他們打為異類。這是身為大家長的應有高度。

其次，國安會大陣仗討論食安，卻得出「全民抵制」這麼一個欠缺格局視野的結論，也凸顯出馬政府國安思考之狹窄。老實說，台灣的食安再怎麼差，也比中國大陸的食品管理要好上許多。大陸人民趁出國旅遊之便，必定會在港、澳、台等地搜刮採購奶粉等食品，即可驗證十四億人民對食品信心之所繫。以台灣資通訊之實力與食品履歷發展之經驗，我們是極有可能成功發展成為十四億華人若干產品的分裝、驗證、履歷、品質檢驗中心的。

過去兩年三次的食安事件雖然都是負面衝擊，但是台灣政府大有機會將危機轉化為轉機，趁此機會逐步建立起台灣對若干關鍵食品（例如奶粉、食用油、禁止原料之負面索引）的驗證資通訊系統，建構起台灣在華人食品市場的龍頭認證地位。執政者如果不能從正面積極的「食品產業」思考切入，就只能一次又一次淪為食安事件負面消極的危機處理，不但自貶格局，也自陷於沒完沒了、永遠被輿論追殺的困境。日前國安會「全民抵制頂新」的天兵級結論，正是這種困境的寫照。

最後，我們也要對頂新集團說幾句話。魏家兄弟能在卅年間在中國大陸打下一片天地，這表示他們在成本管理、市場開拓方面有過人的能耐。但是，這種對「錢」敏感的企業經營能力，為了追逐低成本而極盡手段的方式，卻也正是種下該集團目前身陷危機的原因。魏家兄弟現在不論是辭董座、掉眼淚，都不足以換回台灣人民的寬宥。唯一一條可行之路，就是用心、用力地回饋台灣社會。魏家如果能裸捐三分之一甚至二分之一的家族財產，在台灣成立食品安全基金，完全委請社會公正人士去管理運用，主動積極協助台灣建置全世界最理想的食品安全檢測、認證履歷、原料管控、品質認定、雲端資料等流程，果能如此，那就不但是幫助自己補過修愆，也是幫助整個台灣社會往正面超越突破。從哪裡跌倒，就從那裡站起來；不名譽賺來的黑心食品錢全數捐出來建置「食安雲」，這可能是尋得台灣人民「給最後一次機會」的唯一辦法。

總之，台灣的食安問題要解決，就一定要從危機處理、選舉算計的負面泥淖中跳出來，往食品產業的正面方向思考、規劃。國家安全會議不該是叩應節目，總統更不該淪為名嘴；頂新要懂得負面危機處理，總統府更該懂得正面戰略布局。