This article was originally published on The Conversation . . SPC Ardmona's bailout is crucial given China's food safety record By Christopher G. Baker , University of Sydney SPC Ardmona’s $22 million lifeline from the Victorian government seems to have saved Australia’s largest food packaging company. Yet the firm’s recent tribulations are a reminder of why I regularly choose to buy products at the supermarket that are more expensive than the alternative. Local produce: Victorian workers and politicians have rallied behind the SPC brand. AAP One reason is that Australian food standards are generally world-class when it comes to the amount of contamination allowed from metals such as lead and cadmium. Although it is not always possible to police this perfectly, these standards allow a high degree of confidence that Australian food is free from contamination. Contamination issues The story is different elsewhere. In China, for example, the past decade has seen
