We do not accept apologies regarding food safety issues

Recently, Han Wei, chairman of Dalian Hanwei Group, officially apologized for the "problem eggs" incident, admitting that the "problem eggs" were caused by excessive melamine in feed, and promised to bear all the responsibilities and consequences arising from this.

On the 30th, the Beijing News published an article titled "Han Wei Apologizes: This Kind of Heroic Spirit Should Be Recognized" written by Tao Duanfang, which highly praised the apology. In the article, it seems that Han Wei Group possesses a kind of "heroic spirit"

"Spirit" and called on the whole society to "give applause to the 'heroes'".

Upon first reading the article, I felt something was off. It definitely belongs to the "innovative" category. Amidst the nationwide panic over "problem eggs" and the public's vehement condemnation of unscrupulous manufacturers, the author still dares to conduct a "praise". Firstly, the author undoubtedly deserves the title of a "hero"! Driven by curiosity, I decided to read the entire article to find out what astonishing insights the author had.

Regrettably, what one sees is a discourse filled with logical confusion and expressions that contradict themselves. The author first solemnly points out that it goes without saying that Hanwei Group Company "will bear all responsibilities and consequences arising from this." In other words, making apologies and making promises are all within its scope of duty. However, the tone suddenly changes as the author praises the apology as an act of courage and commends the company for exhibiting a heroic spirit. The author cannot help but ask, if it is within its scope of duty, then what does it have to do with the heroic spirit? As Mr. Tao Duanfang has said, even if he does not promise to "bear all responsibilities arising from this," he cannot be exempted from responsibility. In the author's view, whether to apologize or not is akin to the situation after a murder, where some suspects admit to their actions while others do not. Regardless of the behavior, it is absolutely not worthy of praise.

Mr. Tao also realized that stepping forward and clarifying the situation is "a good self-rescue and protection measure for the manufacturer, the brand, and the person in charge himself." In other words, publicly apologizing is primarily a self-serving behavior. After an accident occurs, it can only be considered a smart move for the company to issue an apology statement.

An ancient saying goes, "Killing a person is no more than bowing his head." But even if one bows his head, what good does it do? The fresh life is still gone. Therefore, few people are willing to accept apologies in such situations. Similarly, food safety is a major matter concerning the lives and health of the people. We must say that in today's extremely severe food safety situation, we do not accept apologies regarding food safety issues. No matter who it is, as long as they cause a food safety accident and endanger the lives and health of the people, no matter how serious the accident is, we will hold them accountable to the fullest extent, even at the cost of their reputation and financial ruin.