March 26, 2011
China focuses on dairy products, meat in food safety campaign
China has launched its annual working plan to improve food safety in 2011, amid public concerns and media attention.
The plan was introduced by the General Office of the State Council, and published on the website of the Central People's Government, www.gov.cn, on Friday (Mar 25).
According to the plan, China will specifically target dairy products, edible oils, health-promoting food, meat, food additives and alcohol in its food safety campaign this year.
The plan stressed ensuring food safety in those key categories by raising the benchmark for market entry, gradually phasing out unqualified producers and introducing an information-based tracing mechanism and credit system in those industries.
For the dairy industry, the plan requested the establishment of a unified national database of dairy product manufacturers and a system to verify relevant certificates.
It emphasised a request for a registration system to record all purchases of melamine, a prohibited food additive which has caused major scandals in the country's dairy industry since 2008.
The distribution of melamine-laced milk products has killed at least six infants and sickened 300,000 children across the country.
Chen Xiaohong, vice minister of the Ministry of Health, said that by February 2011, China had discovered 2,334 tones of "problematic" milk powder, and two people involved in milk scandal were sent to prison with life sentences.
Furthermore, the plan bans the use of clenbuterol in meat after a recent case involving the illegal additive in pork triggered public concern. The chemical, which is poisonous to humans if ingested, was added to pig feed to stop them from accumulating fat.
The plan also stressed the role of law enforcement in food safety. Severe punishments will be meted out to those who cover up food safety hazards and evade supervision. Those guilty of wrongful conduct in food safety supervision should also be held accountable, according to the plan.
