A draft law on food safety, submitted to China's top legislature for a second reading on Monday, highlights the "social responsibility" of food producers and marketers.

"Food safety is directly related to public health and safety," the Law Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) said in a report at the fourth session of the 11th NPC Standing Committee.

"Food makers should not only act according to law but undertake social responsibilities."

The previous draft, which focused on government supervision and administrative punishment, failed to address the "civil liability" of those making and selling the food, the committee said.

The current version, thus, added that producers and marketers should ensure food safety, accept public supervision and shoulder social responsibility.

The draft law, covering food safety evaluation, monitoring, recalls and information release, laid out penalties from fines to life in prison for makers of substandard food.

(Xinhua News Agency August 26, 2008)