China to ensure stronger food safety

China’s Food and Drug Administration has announced there will be a focus on food and drug safety in the country, following a series of health scare stories last year.

The country had several scandals, including donkey meat products tainted with fox, heavy metals in baby food and allegations of expired meat sold to fast-food chains.

As reported in Reuters, the regulator said in a statement: "We must soberly recognise the current foundations of China’s food and drug safety are still weak, with new and old risks together creating a grim situation."

China is set to increase active regulation to prevent food and drug safety scares, with more on-site inspections, random tests and unannounced visits, reports Reuters.

The regulator has also noted that the quality of personnel, legal structures, management methods and technological aspects were all currently insufficient.

China’s sales of global companies from US fast-food chains that include McDonald’s and Yum Brands to retailers such as Wal-Mart and France’s Carrefour have been affected due to safety scares.

The country plans to attract more personnel, standardise training methods and promote greater cooperation between regions to enhance food safety.

Since six infants died in 2008 after drinking adulterated milk, the government has been struggling to restore confidence in its $1tn food processing industry.

An earlier Reuters article reported China Meat Association deputy secretary-general Gao Guan as claiming that food safety laws in the country are incomplete and responsibility to enforce them is unclear, making it difficult for regulators to do their jobs.