The recent food scare in China concerning infant cereal food maker H.J. Heinz Co. highlights the need to further improve tracing of ingredients in a country where these can come from a multitude of sources, Reuters reported.

After its infant cereals were found to have excess levels of lead, Heinz had to to recall the product and apologize to Chinese consumers. The news wire reported that the dearth in tracking systems for produce in China is the likely culprit for the food maker's inability to immediately detect the use of ingredients that would cause food safety issues. Such systems are commonly used in the United States and Europe.

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Reuters noted that China received the lowest score among 20 countries with respect to food traceability systems and regulation in an audited survey by the Institute of Food Technologists.

It said that food safety barcodes provide information on the farm of origin, dates of harvest, planting, storage and shipment. These data provide clients the ability to determine ingredients that may cause an issue with the final products.

Although some firms have introduced the barcode system in China, the high cost of the technology makes it inaccessible for most.

Heinz was able to identify the cause of four bad batches of its AD Calcium Hi-Protein Cereal in eastern China, but said it needs to do more to keep suppliers in check.

China has had several high-profile food scares. KFC parent Yum Brands, Inc., McDonald's Corp., Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., and Fonterra Co-operative Group, Ltd. all went through such incidents recently, according to Reuters. In 2008, at least six infants died after ingesting baby formula found to have been tainted with the industrial chemical melamine.

Reuters cited a report by HSBC that showed seven of the top 10 farming provinces were amongst the areas most exposed to heavy metal pollution. McDonald's and Burger King World Wide, Inc. have had to come out with statements to assure consumers that safeguards are in place to ensure the safety of their products.

The newswire, however, reported that even with stringent auditing processes, the fragmented nature of China's agriculture industry makes it tough to fully track all suppliers, some of whom may be relying on smaller contractors.

An anonymous executive of a food processing plant in China affirmed this, sharing that his firm had shipped to Japan vegetables contaminated with chemicals. His company's audit showed its long term supplier had used produce from a neighboring farm, which shows that the desire to maximize profits could jeopardize the safety controls. 

The report added that China's food safety regulators do not have the manpower to implement its tough laws.

TagsFood scare, Heinz