Shang-Zhi Gao, the President of I-Mei Foods Co.,Ltd, was invited by NTUBA to give a speech titled “LOHAS: From Food Safety to Food Security” at the Sun Yun-Hsuan Management Forum. Many recent discussions revolve around the issue of food safety. Consumers are increasingly aware of and concerned about what they consume. During the Forum, Mr. Gao shared his experience with the management mechanism among the government, suppliers and consumers with the audience. Furthermore, he discussed the global attention on food safety and the connection between food and all industries to inspire the audience with the importance of food in people’s daily life.

At first, Mr. Gao introduced the history of food addictives, which had been extensively used in Japan since the 1970s. Therefore, the consumption of imported food might be considered unnecessary. A more realistic and useful recommendation for consumers from Mr. Gao was to get a closer look on the food labels to prevent excessive consumtion of unhealthy food additives. 

Food safety not only relates to the food itself, but also be affected by other factors in our daily life. Mr. Gao proceeded to provide a few examples reminding the audience of the potential dangers in other daily necessities. The issue of food safety involves many different aspects, which is why Mr. Gao considered it as a global trend. However, Taiwan seemed to be scanty of the power of regional integration, international insights, language and professional abilities to compete with other countries under this trend. In fact, every country had its own food safety problem, so many countries tried to solve these problems through trading or formulating related policies. In spite of the similar food safety crisis between countries, Mr. Gao particularly criticized the news media in Taiwan for their sometimes misleading, exaggerative or inaccurate reports attempting to horrify consumers. The censorship on food in Taiwan could also be improved to reduce the tension between the government and the merchants.

Furthermore, Mr. Gao revealed the inspecting process in I-Mei. The company was willing to invest more on the capital, machines and human resources to better examine its products. Mr. Gao mentioned the“FeeeP” principle, which composed of food, economy, energy, environment and people, to conclude the problem of both food safety and food security. If we were to keep these five aspects in mind, we  have the opportunity to create a healthier world and a brilliant future.