The recent liquor poisoning case in south China's Guangdong
Province, which left 11 dead, has led to the launch of a
seven-month food safety campaign to collect fake and inferior
products.
Nine categories of staple and commonly used foods--dairy
products, liquor, beverages, cooking oils, meat, vegetables, fruit,
soybean products, and aquatic products--are to be closely
inspected.
Officials from the provincial industry and commerce, health,
quality inspection and quarantine authorities have teamed up to put
an end to harm done by questionable products in these areas.
"Each sector--including production, manufacturing, wholesale and
retail--will be put under close scrutiny before the product flows
to consumers," said Lu Chengxian, director of the Guangdong
Provincial Administration for Industry and Commerce.
Use of toxic additives, rotten meat, dairy products with low
protein content and overuse of edible additives are the most common
problems associated with these questionable goods.
The campaign will have an obvious impact by the end of 2004,
according to Lu.
Fifty substandard milk powder brands were exposed after a recent
spot-check of 23,476 urban and rural wholesale and retail markets
by 14,600 inspectors from the provincial health department.
(China Daily May 25, 2004)