As public anxiety over food and product quality continues,
China's health authorities announced on Wednesday a new nationwide
food safety campaign in the catering sector.
According to an action plan drawn up by the State Council, the
inspection program will last from September to the end of this
year, Health Minister Chen Zhu said at a press conference held by
the Information Office of the State Council.
The inspection will target school dining halls, construction
site canteens, small restaurants, and dining facilities situated in
rural areas and city suburbs.
Those found to have purchased or used substandard food products
would be subject to severe punishments, according to the Health
Ministry.
Excessive use of food additives and the use of "non-foodstuff"
materials in food will also be strictly forbidden and punished, the
ministry said.
The ministry said it hoped the four-month campaign would further
regulate the business operations of the country's catering
companies and greatly reduce food poisoning accidents and diseases
originating from poor quality food.
Incidents of mass food poisoning continue to occur in China. In
August, 74 teenagers fell sick after eating at a boarding school in
north China's Shanxi Province.
Local health bureau and quarantine authorities closed the
school's dining hall in Xinjiang County. The students, who were
diagnosed as suffering from bacterial food poisoning, all recovered
the next day after medical treatment.
Earlier media reports said that from March to May this year,
China's health authorities inspected 146,465 restaurants and school
canteens, of which 964 had their food hygiene licenses revoked and
8,352 were punished.
Chen said the ministry had set up a monitoring network on food
contamination and diseases originating from poor quality food and
is considering publicizing the sanitation record of catering
businesses to further improve food safety.
The Chinese government began a four-month nationwide campaign
late last month to improve the quality of goods and food
safety.
The campaign will target farm produce, processed food, the
catering sector, drugs, pork, imported and exported goods, and
products closely linked to human safety and health.
(Xinhua News Agency September 6, 2007)