Oil transportation tankers in China are in the spotlight after Beijing News reported that tankers are transporting edible oil and chemicals alternatively without proper cleaning after each trip, sparking public concern about food safety.

According to the report, soon after emptying some chemicals, the drivers directly load edible soybean oil into their tanks for the next trip. This has sparked public concerns about possible food safety risks, as the chemicals contain components that are hazardous to human health and can lead to poisoning. The Food Safety Law stipulates that containers, tools or equipment used for storing, transporting and handling food must be clean to prevent food contamination.

Yet, while edible oils are used in cooking and as an ingredient in numerous processed foods, it is not certain where the edible oil being transported was used. Soaring demand has pushed edible oil prices to record highs. But it is mainly their growing use as biofuel that has driven prices up.

A thorough investigation is needed to determine first of all whether the oil being transported in this way was being used for human consumption.

If that should prove to be the case all the links in the chain — the transportation companies and edible oil producers involved and the local government agencies in charge of food safety — should all be probed to ascertain their accountability. According to the latest media reports, various investigations are now underway. It is hoped that these will be able to get to the bottom of the matter.

Yet food safety is such a sensitive issue, that although these investigations might possibly restore some public trust, the companies concerned cannot pin their hopes on them restoring all the trust that has already been lost. Public trust is so fragile that a single incident that makes the public feel it is being cheated is enough to break it.

It is good to see the central authorities have not only launched a joint investigation into this case, but also organized a national campaign to deal with possible risks related to the whole edible oil industry on Tuesday afternoon, vowing zero-tolerance to food safety issues and harsh punishment of any wrongdoers.

In the event that anything untoward is uncovered, those responsible must be held to account, and strict preventive measures implemented to ensure that there is no space for any dangerous practices.

The standards applied in the national cleanup campaign should become the new normal.