Food safety agreement sets framework for World Food Center-China

Officials from the city of Zhuhai, China, and the University of California, Davis, signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the World Food Center-China.

The WFC-China will be the central office for coordinating research and training activities in food safety for various Sino-U.S. Joint Research Centers across the country. A facility for the center is being developed in a newly created economic zone in Zhuhai’s Guangdong province, a region known for its technology industry, economic vitality and proximity to Hong Kong.

“China has placed a very high priority on improving the safety of its food and restoring confidence in consumers here and around the world,” said Roger Beachy, executive director of the UC Davis World Food Center. “We will measure success by the reduced incidence of unsafe foods in China in coming years.”

Signing the official document were Beachy and Ralph Hexter, UC Davis provost and executive vice chancellor, with Wang Qingli, vice mayor of Zhuhai. Mayor Jiang Ling gave opening remarks, and Zhang Laiwu, vice minister in China’s Ministry of Science and Technology, attended. Representatives from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration also attended the event.

“UC Davis is pleased to participate with Zhuhai City to create this strong partnership for innovation,” said Hexter.

Zhongli Pan, an adjunct professor at UC Davis, will serve as the center director. The city of Zhuhai is contributing the first $2.5 million to the center for the initial projects.

For more information, visit the World Food Center’s website.