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Crackdown on Shoddy Food Enhanced in China
China's health authority pledged Thursday to take tougher measures against shoddy food, cosmetics and health products which are becoming rampant throughout the country.
Meat, salt, grain, edible oil, baby food, processing of aquatic products, and slaughter of poultry and livestock will be under particularly close monitoring, said Zhao Tonggang, an official with the Ministry of Health (MOH).
In the past three months, 23,000 tons of fake food, cosmetics and disposable syringes valued more than 95 million yuan (11 million US dollars) were confiscated as health supervision workers conducted a nationwide examination, Zhao said.
More than 180,000 counterfeiting places were closed, with 301 suspects involved being seized. About 4,200 businesses were banned from producing before they can regain their sanitary safety licenses.
"We are challenged by illegal producers and sellers whose practices are more secretive and counterfeiting forms have become more diversified," said vice health minister Yin Dakui.
"To make the situation worse, some local officials have been uncooperative with health supervision workers," he added.
The vice minister said MOH will continue its concerted efforts with departments of quality supervision, industrial and commercial administration, agriculture and police to enhance the crackdowns.
The general public should be well educated and encouraged to reveal and boycott shoddy goods, he said.
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