The discussion was lively yet well-organized, and many valuable suggestions for revision were offered. Lin Wanqiu listened attentively to everyone's remarks, noting down reasonable opinions and revising the draft accordingly.

After more than three hours of discussion, the provisional industry standard was unanimously approved by all participating representatives. The moment the moderator announced its passage, thunderous applause erupted in the meeting room, and everyone's faces lit up with excited smiles.

"Great! With this regulation, we have a powerful tool at our disposal!"

"From now on, we will operate in accordance with regulations and will no longer be afraid of the vicious competition from those unscrupulous companies!"

"Unity is strength. I believe that under Chairman Lin's leadership, we will definitely win this battle!"

Seeing everyone's enthusiastic expressions, Lin Wanqiu felt a surge of confidence. She knew that the passage of the temporary industry regulations was only the first step; even more challenging tasks awaited them.

Following the meeting, Lin Wanqiu immediately led the emergency response team into action. Li Jianguo, in conjunction with market supervision departments, conducted a comprehensive investigation of wholesale markets and retail stores in the provincial capital and surrounding cities, sampling nearly a hundred batches of food products. The results were alarming: more than twenty batches of products from out-of-town companies had quality problems, including excessive additives in pastries, excessive microbial content in canned goods, and falsely labeled expiration dates on candies.

The association immediately publicized the inspection results through newspapers, radio, and other media, reminding consumers to be cautious when purchasing low-priced products. Meanwhile, market regulators took serious action against the relevant companies, ordering them to cease selling the substandard products and imposing fines in accordance with the law.

The news caused a huge stir in the market. Consumers abandoned buying low-priced products and opted instead for high-quality products from companies within the province. Sales at Sun Defu's pastry factory rebounded rapidly, and the inventory at Hongxing Canned Food Factory was gradually depleted. The operating conditions of food companies within the province improved significantly.

The business alliance organized by Zhang Hongye also played a vital role. Member companies shared raw material procurement channels, reducing costs through bulk purchasing; they shared sales channels, pushing products into a wider market; and they jointly conducted promotional activities, further enhancing product awareness and sales volume.

Lin Wanqiu continued to lead the development of formal industry standards. She led the standards-setting team to conduct in-depth research in food companies across various regions, widely soliciting opinions and suggestions from company leaders, technical personnel, consumer representatives, and experts. She also utilized her existing knowledge of the modern food industry, combined with the production realities of the 1960s, to repeatedly review and revise every clause of the standards.

Lin Wanqiu encountered many difficulties in the process of setting standards. Some companies worried that the standards were too strict and would increase production costs; some experts believed that production conditions in the 1960s were limited, and setting overly high standards was impractical. Faced with these differing opinions, Lin Wanqiu always adhered to the principles of "quality first, scientific rationality, and consideration of reality," patiently communicating and coordinating to find the best balance.

On one occasion, during a discussion with several food industry experts regarding standards for the use of additives, a disagreement arose. The experts believed that, considering current production conditions, restrictions on additive use should be appropriately relaxed; however, Lin Wanqiu insisted that food safety was the bottom line and that standards should not be lowered simply because of limited production conditions.

“President Lin, I understand your concern for food safety, but we also need to consider the actual situation,” an experienced expert said. “Many companies still have relatively outdated production processes. If the standards for additive use are set too strictly, many companies simply cannot meet them, which will affect the development of the industry.”

“Professor Li, I disagree with your view,” Lin Wanqiu said earnestly. “Food safety is related to the health and lives of consumers, and there can be no compromise whatsoever. Outdated production processes can be improved, and technical levels can be raised, but the bottom line of quality cannot be crossed. We set standards not only to regulate the current market order, but also to guide the industry towards higher quality. If we relax the standards now, it would be irresponsible to consumers and to the future of the industry.”

She paused, then continued, "Moreover, I believe that as long as we provide technical support and training to help companies improve their production processes, the vast majority of companies will be able to meet the standards. Our association has already established a technology sharing platform, and we will organize more technical training sessions to help companies improve their technical capabilities."

Lin Wanqiu's words resonated deeply with the experts present. Professor Li pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Chairman Lin is right; food safety is indeed the bottom line. We should hold companies to higher standards and guide the industry towards healthy development. Your sense of responsibility and dedication are truly admirable."

Ultimately, the experts unanimously agreed with Lin Wanqiu's opinion and formulated strict and scientific standards for the use of additives.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of Lin Wanqiu and the standards-setting team, and after more than three months of repeated revisions and improvements, the "Quality and Safety Standards for the Food Industry in This Province" has finally been officially released. This standard covers multiple categories including pastries, candies, canned goods, and dairy products, and sets detailed requirements and specifications for every aspect, from raw material procurement, production and processing, and hygiene management to product inspection, packaging and labeling, storage, and transportation. It is the first comprehensive and systematic industry standard for the food industry in the province.

On the day the standard was released, the association held a press conference, inviting reporters from major newspapers and radio stations in the province to attend. Lin Wanqiu detailed the standard's development process and main content at the press conference, and stated that the association would organize standard training for enterprises to help them quickly familiarize themselves with and master the standard requirements. Simultaneously, the association would work with market supervision departments to strengthen supervision and inspection of the standard's implementation to ensure its effective enforcement.

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