China Gets Tougher on Food and Drug Producers

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, July 30, 2003

China Gets Tougher on Food and Drug Producers

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The Chinese authorities are getting tougher on ensuring the quality and safety of food and drugs for consumers. They will soon launch an austerity campaign against illegal practices in the production and sale of food and drugs. Meanwhile, the State Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine has issued new regulations governing food production. In particular, it will implement a market access licensing system for all food categories by the end of 2006.

The austerity campaign is the first of its kind to be launched in the country. The main areas to be targeted are the markets for cereals, meat, vegetables and fruits, Chinese herbal medicines, and medical apparatus. The law enforcement personnel will crack down on the production and sale of food and drugs of fake identity and inferior quality, and the unlicensed operation of related businesses.

Under the new food regulations, the State Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine will grant market access licenses to only those enterprises which meet State food quality and safety standards. The new licensing system will first cover products in five categories including rice, flour, edible oil, soy sauce and vinegar from the beginning of next year. It will then be extended to all food products by the end of 2006.

The series of new measures aim to address the current problems including poor quality and cases of serious contamination in certain foods. At present, the majority of food producers in China operate on small scales and are not capable of turning out both high��quality and safe products. More than 60,000 producers in the five food categories mentioned above operate in China. And nearly 80 percent of them employ less than 10 people each, while 64 percent of them fail to meet the basic requirements for turning out quality products.

Source:cctv

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