Eric Trachtenberg (L), director of the agricultural trade office at the US embassy in Beijing, and Huang Jiujiu,department director of the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing, shaking hands at the press conference of the Second US-China Cold Chain Standards and Regulations Conference in Beijng, July 27. [Provided for chinadaily.com.cn]
As China begins establishing cold chain national standards to boost the industry's development, the US is lending a helping hand to create a win-win situation for both sides, a US official said on Tuesday.A cold chain is a supply chain system for keeping perishable food in a low-temperature environment from processing to storage, transport, distribution, retail and finally to customers. Products involved including meat, seafood, vegetables and fruits, as well as medicines.
With China further developing the cold chain industry, the US could make its agricultural products accessible to more inland Chinese customers and sell logistics equipments to Chinese companies, said Eric Trachtenberg, director of the agricultural trade office at the US embassy in Beijing.
He also said that the US, as a major food importer from China, will have safer China-exported food once the cold chain industry in China is well established.
Trachtenberg made the remarks at a press conference of the Second US-China Cold Chain Standards and Regulations Conference, which was held on July 27 and 28 in Beijing.
China is a latecomer in the industry. The issue of national standards was only raised in 2006, according to Huang Jiujiu, department director of the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.
The lack of national standards poses as a major barrier to development of the cold chain industry in China, said Trachtenberg.
China has been cooperating with the US, the most developed country in terms of the cold chain industry, to develop its own standards and regulations for the industry. Commercial delegates and experts from both sides have visited each other and talk with each other to share experiences.
The country now has over 200 cold chain standards, mainly developed by government departments and industries for specific products, said Liu Weizhan, secretary general of the National Sub-Committee of Cold Chain Logistics Technology.
The standards for the cold chain industry are still in their infancy and there is no clear timetable on when they will be rolled out, said Dai Dingyi, vice-chairman of the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.
