Shanghai Wufenghang uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to track carcasses
chrispeng The sterilized Ng Fung Hong slaughterhouse in the suburbs of Shanghai is a symbol of China’s increasing emphasis on food safety. There, each pig has its own drinking water supply and shower facilities, as well as identification tags that accompany them from piglets to pork chops.
Last year’s contaminated milk powder scandal caused the deaths of 6 Chinese infants and 300,000 infants who became ill. This caused an upsurge of public opinion at home and abroad. It will take years, not months, to clean up the food industry, known for its decentralized operations and poor supervision. But industry officials say the milk powder crisis has prompted the government — and foreign brands that purchase raw materials domestically — to increase testing, supervise intermediaries, and strengthen supply chains.
Hong Kong food company Wufenghang is one of such foreign brands. The company owns 51% of the Shanghai Slaughterhouse-which it calls one of the most advanced slaughterhouses in the world. This slaughterhouse is located on the edge of Shanghai. It was selected by the Shanghai government in 2006 as a pilot for the “Reliable Meat” tracking project to identify and isolate contaminated food. The Shanghai government currently requires all pork producers to carry out such tracking, but very few comply.
Some other provinces have implemented small-scale tracking pilot projects for vegetables and other foods, and Beijing made several such arrangements for the Olympic Games last summer.
Wufengxing uses radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to track carcasses. Each pig sent to the slaughterhouse wears a plastic ear tag, the number on the ear tag can be traced back to the farm where it is located. All subsequent processes are tracked by the computer.
In the pig house, the staff encourages pigs to drink, rest, and take showers. “If they feel good, they will taste better,” said Wang Ganjiong of Wufeng Shangshi, a joint venture that runs the slaughterhouse. Then the pigs were stunned by electric shocks, slaughtered and bleed, and the carcasses were hung on huge metal hooks with radio frequency identification tags. When the carcass is cut open and the viscera falls on the plate below, the same radio frequency identification number will be passed to the plate, “so we can match the viscera with the pig,” said Wang Ganjiong. He pointed out that there are five or six government inspectors at the slaughterhouse around the clock.
Wang Qianjiong said that if any internal organs cause problems, Wufengxing can check the source with just one click and quickly recall all affected products. This process will increase the price of pork by 2 to 3 yuan per kilogram in the supermarket.
However, industry officials warn that although such technologies are available everywhere, they are rarely used in China. Consumers are unwilling to spend extra money to “rest assured”, Wang Ganjiong said.
