The duration and high-hazard factors of food crimes in China: an empirical study with automatic text analytics
摘要
Food safety risks are influenced by both incident characteristics and regulatory enforcement. Judicial texts provide valuable data for analyzing factors that impact the persistence of food safety incidents. This study analyzed 13,000 Chinese judicial documents related to food crime cases to investigate the duration of high-hazard food crimes. Using Cox proportional hazard models, the results show that incidents subject to stronger administrative and criminal regulatory measures, those caused by food additives, and those occurring at points of sale are resolved more quickly. In contrast, incidents that take longer to resolve often involve more police involvement, a larger number of defendants and supply chain links, familial relationships among participants, and occurrences in factories, homes, or schools. These findings highlight small-scale food workshops as a significant source of food safety risks in China, offering theoretical and practical insights for improving food law enforcement.