China works at preventing large-scale food safety crisis

China has been struggling to overcome a series of food safety problems, and in its latest attempt, the authorities seek to extend supervision to reach more of the country's small farms.

Vice Minister of Agriculture Wei Chao'an told a news conference that agricultural officials at all levels are working this year "to prevent any large-scale food safety crises."

Wei said China was working to bring more farms under better supervision, a challenge in a vast country where some rural areas are still very poor.

Even as China moves towards modern farming, production methods are still backward and supervision lags behind, Wei said.

A statement from the ministry said the government promises to "implement quality and safety monitoring programmes targeting raw and fresh milk, and strengthen supervision of purchase stations for raw and fresh milk."