The Beijing government will hand out a free special oil pot to every family in the city by the end of the year to help people maintain a healthy lifestyle, the Beijing News reported on September 3.

Chen Zhu, the newly appointed Minister of Health, vice minister Wang Longde, and deputy mayor of Beijing Ding Xiangyang together unveiled a campaign at Chaoyang Park in Beijing to promote healthy living.

Along with the pot, the government will also send out a Healthy Diet Guide and a?Infectious Disease Prevention Guide to every residence.
?
The limiting oil pot to be distributed to every family before the end of this year can hold 530 milliliters of edible oil. This is considered a reasonable portion for a 3-member family to use over the course of a week, according to officials from the Beijing health administration.

Research shows that a healthy adult should not consume more than 25 grams of oil and 6 grams of salt in one day. 80 percent of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and 40 percent of tumors can be prevented if people maintain a healthy diet, do proper exercise, and control smoking and alcohol intake.

By the end of June this year, the Beijing municipal government had given out 5 million special salt spoons to citizens for free. The distribution of spoons and oil pots is part of a themed health campaign.

(China.org.cn by Zhang Rui, September 3, 2007)