China is to launch a nationwide campaign on improving food safety in mid-December to better protect its children and teenagers, Cheng Zhigang, a spokesman with the campaign leading group, said on Sunday.

Initiated by China Soong Ching Ling Foundation last August, the campaign was jointly launched by 11 government departments including the National Development and Reform Commission, ministries of education, agriculture, commerce and health and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

"Its goal is to spread food safety and nutrition knowledge to children and their parents, help youngsters have healthy dietary habits and regulate domestic food market", said Cheng.

During the campaign, the organizer will adopt tangible measures including establishing a special fund for children's food safety, formulating national standards for food quality catering to children and supervising the food quality in groceries and supermarkets in rural areas.

Official figures show that China has more than 400 million children and teenagers under the age of 18 for the time being.

(Xinhua News Agency December 9, 2007)