Hit by a spate of global recalls of shoddy and toxic Chinese products, the government has declared a four-month “special war” against poor product quality and ordered supervision in eight key areas, including processed food and toys.
Eight categories of products are involved: pork, drugs, agricultural products, processed food, catering sector, import and export products, and other products related to public health such as toys and electric wires. Twenty detailed targets to be met by the year-end have been set, the official media reported today.
For example, it is mandatory that all food producers are licenced; all pigs be slaughtered at designated places; all agricultural product wholesale markets in cities be monitored; all raw material bases for export products be inspected; and all restaurants and dining halls check safety certification when they buy raw materials.
The government has banned the use of five types of strong pesticide in agricultural products, to sell poultry that die of disease, or to add harmful additives to food.
“This is a special war to protect the safety and interests of the general public, as well as a war to safeguard the made-in-China label and the country’s image,” Vice-Premier Wu Yi said during a national teleconference on Thursday in Beijing.
It was the first meeting on quality control Wu chaired after being appointed head of a Cabinet-level panel on food safety and quality control last week.