There was an ample supply of commodities in Beijing's wholesale and retail markets during the five-day May Day holiday when the people were fighting the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) disease, the municipal administration for industry and commerce said Tuesday.
The markets were well regulated, though some stores and supermarkets had run out of liquid disinfectant, disinfectant wipes, gauze masks, medical soap and thermometers, said Liu Jian, the spokesman for the administration.
The prices of rice, wheat flour, cooking oil, salt, dairy products, vegetables, meat, eggs and fowl, all of which are being monitored, continued to drop or remained stable.
From May 1 to 5, the supply of agricultural products and by- products was also adequate, while sales volumes remained stable with a slight drop, said Liu.
The administration examined 175 vegetable samples, 199 fresh meat samples and six fruit samples from 97 markets and supermarkets during the holiday. As much as 98 percent of the samples met the standards on food safety.
The administration had adopted a series of practical measures to guarantee the supply of commodities and stabilize the prices of goods during the May Day holiday.
(China Daily May 7, 2003)
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