Adoption of HACCP system in the Chinese food industry: A comparative analysis

Based on a survey of If 7 food enterprises in Zhejiang Province, China, this paper presents the results with respect to the adoption of the hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) system in the Chinese food industry with special emphasis on the food enterprises without an HACCP system. The findings suggest that compared with those that have adopted an HACCP system, the food enterprises that have not adopted HACCP system can be identified by the following criteria, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), suppliers of the domestic market which have not implemented other quality management systems and of which managers have relatively low education levels and who have a limited perception of the HACCP system. The results also indicate that food enterprises without an HACCP system in practice are more sensitive to external factor incentives such as consumer awareness of food safety and extension and support from the government. A number of possible methods to encourage the adoption of the HACCP system by the Chinese food industry can be identified from this empirical study. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.