CPPCC Member Sun Baoguo Proposes Enhancing Public Food Science Literacy and Fostering a Positive Media Environment

Sun Baoguo, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, recently emphasized that China's food industry is undergoing a profound transformation from ensuring 'food safety' to promoting 'healthy eating.' However, the general public's low food science literacy and weak ability to discern information have become significant impediments to industry development. He pointed out that from the early lack of basic food safety awareness to the distortion of information in some food incidents, and the widespread cognitive misconceptions in society, all reflect a systemic deficiency in public food science literacy. Commissioner Sun Baoguo believes that implementing a 'National Food Science Literacy Enhancement Initiative' is not only a response to people's aspirations for a better life but also a solid foundation for the high-quality development of the food industry. He elaborated on its necessity from three perspectives: Firstly, there is a structural disparity between scientific achievements and public perception. Despite China's leading global food science disciplinary system and its food industry ranking first worldwide, non-scientific perceptions such as 'fear of food additives' and the 'demonization of oil, salt, and sugar' are still prevalent. These perceptions hinder the market conversion of industrial innovation achievements. This contradiction of 'scientific leadership, cognitive lag' has become a deep-seated obstacle to the high-quality development of the industry. Secondly, in the context of intertwined governance transformation and technological revolution, strengthening social co-governance capabilities is urgent. Current food safety governance is moving towards a new stage of comprehensive coordination across the entire chain and lifecycle. On one hand, traditional risks like microbial contamination persist; on the other hand, some unverified academic viewpoints are packaged as 'scientific conclusions,' and commercial promotions masquerade as popular science content, severely confusing the public. Facing the rapid development of new technologies like bio-manufacturing and artificial intelligence, only by building on 'scientific evidence' and gaining trust through truthful and accurate scientific claims can we meet the new requirements of modern governance. Finally, public health and the future of the industry depend on scientific understanding. Enhancing food science literacy is an inherent need to guide public rational cognition and safeguard personal health, as well as an essential path to strengthen food safety risk communication and build a social co-governance framework. The transition from 'eating safely' to 'eating healthily' requires not only industrial upgrading but also the simultaneous enhancement of scientific understanding across society. This is a fundamental project to ensure public health and support the sustainable development of the industry. To address the shortcomings in public food science literacy, Commissioner Sun Baoguo proposed three recommendations: Firstly, integrate food science literacy enhancement into the top-level design of national scientific literacy construction. He suggested adding a 'Food Science Literacy Enhancement Initiative' to the revision of the 'National Plan for Scientific Literacy Action' or its specific implementation plans. This initiative should clarify its scope, including nutrition and health knowledge, food processing technologies, scientific interpretation of food additives, food safety risk communication, and the ability to discern rumors. It should also be incorporated into the citizen scientific literacy evaluation system, establishing its foundational status at the national strategic level. Secondly, build a state-led, organized popular science system leveraging advantageous academic resources. Establish mechanisms for annual popular science theme release and scientific consensus formation, and formulate a national list of key annual tasks for food popularization. Utilizing the professional academic networks of national societies, organize teams of academicians and experts to draft and release 'scientific consensuses' on highly publicized and easily misunderstood topics such as health foods, food bio-manufacturing, and food additives, clearly distinguishing between established scientific conclusions and exploratory academic viewpoints. Simultaneously, encourage the use of technologies like artificial intelligence and virtual reality to develop immersive popular science products, support national societies in creating credible popular science brands, and promote a shift in science communication from a 'didactic' to a 'dialogic' approach. Thirdly, strengthen the popular science talent pool and normalize scientists' participation in popular science. Encourage academicians and experts in the food sector to take the lead in popular science work, and support universities and research institutes in including high-quality popular science achievements in performance evaluations and professional title assessments. Establish a national food popular science expert database, regularly organize experts to visit grassroots communities, schools, and neighborhoods, and conduct specialized training for grassroots staff and media professionals to enhance the professional literacy of popular science content producers from the source, thereby fostering a new pattern of food popularization with broad societal participation.