"The blueprint shows the determination from the central government to deal with the problem, following a number of recent incidents," said Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs.

A recent report by Nanjing Agricultural University said research in 2007 found 10 percent of rice samples collected from markets were found to have excessive levels of cadmium.

"Unlike conventional water or air pollutants, heavy-metal pollution is usually invisible to the public, and has to be monitored with professional equipment," said Ma, "This will require an effective and sound supervisory system from local governments, as well as more public transparency on pollution data."