Related Experiment Videos
Evaluating food safety in China: regional disparities and dynamic evolution
Tong Zhao1, Jingjing Wang1, Yun Luo2
1College of Rural Revitalization, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, Anhui, China.
Background:
Food safety remains a critical global concern, and assessing regional food safety performance is essential for effective policy design. However, systematic evidence on regional disparities and their evolution in China remains limited.
Methods:
Grounded in stakeholder theory, this study constructs a multidimensional framework encompassing producers, government regulation, and social harm. Using panel data from 30 Chinese provinces (2016-2021), food safety performance is measured using the entropy-weighted TOPSIS method, while regional disparities and their dynamics are analyzed through Dagum Gini decomposition and kernel density estimation.
Results:
Food safety performance exhibits a steady upward trend, with the composite index increasing from 0.070 to 0.189. The spatial pattern follows "Eastern > Western > Northeastern > Central," with the Central region lagging behind. Regional disparities have widened over time, driven primarily by inter-regional differences. Kernel density results indicate overall improvement accompanied by increasing dispersion, with weakening polarization in the Eastern and Western regions but a contrasting trend in the Central region.
Conclusion:
Although food safety performance in China has improved, significant regional disparities persist. More targeted and region-specific policy interventions are needed to enhance governance effectiveness.
Related Concept Videos
Sources of Food Contamination
Investigation of Disease Outbreaks
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)
Methods of Controlling Food Spoilage