The contaminated milk powder scandal in China triggered removals of company executives and negligent officials, arrests of suspects and put 22 melamine-tainted dairy producers under fire.

What’s truly applauded by consumers, however, is the quality watchdog’s announcement that it would remove all inspection exemptions formerly granted to food producers.

This is a positive step forward in China’s uphill battle for food safety, but only if all quality checks are carried out in a strict, open and impartial manner. Food safety should be the last category exempt from checkups.

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine has used the exemption as a special reward since 2000. Chinese companies with a reputation of quality products, big market shares and strict safety controls didn’t have to undergo certain inspections.

Immunity has indeed helped nurture some domestic brands, but the honor roll became a blacklist when a number of companies became involved in food safety scandals. 

Take Sanlu for example. The company’s confession that its formula wasn’t safe appeared after an internal investigation which lasted only one day. By then, at least 700 tons of the problematic products were still on sale and at least 6,200 babies all across China got sick.

Sanlu was reportedly one of the blacklisted producers in a shoddy low-protein infant milk powder scandal four years ago. Back then, 13 infants died and 171 were hospitalized.  The hard lesson we should learn from this tragedy: never overestimate the credibility of any company, or any product.

Few people traced how the company made it off that list. Perhaps many believed a smaller company produced the bad milk powder but used Sanlu’s name. Perhaps we were all too apathetic.

Some say the dairy scandal could be a blessing in disguise. At least the problem is now on the table which is the first step to solving it.

The quality watchdog’s decision to remove all exemption qualifications for food producers is at least a positive move to sweep away the “blind areas” in food safety.

 Businesses should adopt stricter quality controls. Governments, at all levels, should exercise more supervision. Media should point its finger when the facts are there.