Surreal illustration of a Chinese marketplace reflecting food safety concerns and state oversight.

China's Moral Maze: Unpacking the Complexities of Food Safety and State Responsibility

Mira Elwood in Politics & Policy December 2025 • 4 min read.

"A deep dive into how Chinese citizens perceive the state's role in ensuring safe markets and challenging the 'self-reliance' narrative."

Imagine dining in China and hearing a story about rulers being executed for serving watery porridge—a stark metaphor for a government's failure to care for its people. This anecdote highlights a deep-seated expectation in China: the state is responsible for ensuring its citizens' well-being. Today, that expectation is tested by frequent food safety scandals and widespread anxiety over product quality.

In contemporary China, moral imaginings of the market implicate state actors and institutions. Articulating perceived injustices, Chinese consumer-citizens resort not to the 'mutual rights and obligations' of buyers and sellers specified in the Consumer Law but to ideals of fairness that include the role of the state in regulating the market.

This article explores how Chinese citizens navigate this complex landscape, blending historical expectations with modern anxieties. We will examine how they perceive the state's role in ensuring safe markets, and how these perceptions challenge the dominant narrative of 'self-reliance' promoted by the government.

The Enduring Expectation: State as Guardian

Surreal illustration of a Chinese marketplace reflecting food safety concerns and state oversight.

The concept of a 'moral economy' has deep roots, influencing how societies view fairness and justice in economic exchanges. In China, this translates to a persistent belief that the government should actively protect its citizens from harmful products and unethical business practices. This expectation isn't just about consumer rights; it's about a broader understanding of the state's fundamental responsibilities.

This expectation clashes with the state-sponsored consumer welfare apparatus, which promotes a unified message that consumers must learn to protect themselves in the marketplace. It is about an extensive national network of official institutions, media and propaganda, and a 25-year-old Consumer Law, promote a unified message that consumers must learn to protect themselves in the marketplace.

Historical Context: Drawing from China's long history, where rulers were judged on their ability to provide for their people.
Modern Anxieties: Addressing widespread concerns about food safety and product quality.
Challenging Neoliberalism: Investigating how Chinese citizens resist the state-promoted idea of self-reliance in the marketplace.

The Consumer Protection Law (CPL) was drafted in 1993 and came into effect in 1994, supplementing a handful of preexisting provincial laws on consumer welfare and creating a nationwide legal standard. The law attracted popular interest after China's first “fake-fighter,” Wang Hai, discovered in it a "double compensation” clause that allowed him to create a career out of seeking 200% refunds on fake, defective, or misrepresented goods.

A Call for Moral Accountability

Ultimately, understanding China's food safety challenges requires recognizing the enduring moral expectations placed on the state. While neoliberal ideologies may encourage self-reliance, the demand for a responsible and accountable government remains strong. By acknowledging this dynamic, we can better address the complexities of food safety and state-citizen relationships in China.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

Everything You Need To Know

What role is the Chinese state expected to play regarding its citizens' well-being and how does this expectation influence consumer behavior?

In China, there's a deep-seated expectation that the state is responsible for its citizens' well-being, extending to ensuring safe markets. This stems from historical context where rulers were judged on their ability to provide for their people. This expectation influences consumers to seek moral accountability from the state, particularly when faced with food safety scandals or concerns about product quality. Instead of relying solely on the "mutual rights and obligations" outlined in the Consumer Law, Chinese consumers often demand the state's intervention to uphold ideals of fairness.

How does the concept of a 'moral economy' apply to consumer expectations in China, and what implications does this have for the role of the government?

The concept of a 'moral economy', emphasizing fairness and justice in economic exchanges, profoundly shapes consumer expectations in China. Chinese consumers believe the government should actively protect them from harmful products and unethical business practices. This perspective goes beyond mere consumer rights, reflecting a broader understanding of the state's fundamental responsibilities. This influences how consumers perceive the state's role and challenges the government's promotion of self-reliance, pushing for greater accountability in ensuring market safety and ethical business practices.

What is the significance of the Consumer Law (CPL) in China, and how has it impacted the landscape of consumer protection?

The Consumer Protection Law (CPL), drafted in 1993 and effective in 1994, created a nationwide legal standard for consumer welfare in China. It gained attention partly due to individuals like Wang Hai, who leveraged a "double compensation" clause within the law to seek refunds on misrepresented goods. This law supplemented existing provincial laws and played a crucial role in shaping the legal framework for consumer protection. However, the article suggests that despite the presence of this law, consumers still often seek broader moral accountability from the state, indicating the limitations of legal frameworks alone in addressing consumer concerns.

What are the primary challenges to the 'self-reliance' narrative promoted by the Chinese government, and how do consumers respond to them?

The primary challenges to the 'self-reliance' narrative stem from widespread anxieties about food safety and product quality. Consumers face frequent scandals that test their trust in market products, leading them to question the government's role in safeguarding their well-being. Chinese consumers resist the idea of self-reliance in the marketplace by demanding the state's intervention. They articulate their perceived injustices, often appealing to ideals of fairness and expecting the state to actively regulate the market. This resistance highlights the tension between the government's promotion of individual responsibility and the deep-rooted historical expectation of the state as a guardian.

Can you explain the main points of conflict between the state and consumers in China, concerning food safety and market regulation?

The main points of conflict revolve around the state's role in ensuring safe markets and the public's expectation of government accountability. The state promotes a 'self-reliance' message. This conflicts with the deep-seated belief in China that the government should actively protect its citizens from harmful products and unethical practices. The state's consumer welfare apparatus, including institutions and the Consumer Law, clashes with consumers' demands for broader fairness and state intervention. This leads to consumers not just relying on the “mutual rights and obligations” specified in the Consumer Law, but seeking moral accountability, challenging the government's narrative and highlighting the enduring expectation that the state is responsible for its citizens' well-being.