Authorities in Beijing yesterday declared the city's four-month
campaign against unsafe food and drugs a "complete success".
The campaign, which was part of a nationwide drive launched in
August, resulted in 120 tons of substandard food products being
either destroyed or removed from shelves, Vice-Mayor Lu Hao told a
work conference that was broadcast live on the central government
website www.gov.cn yesterday.
Other achievements included:
The confiscation of 7,335 kg of illegally produced salt products
and 2,115 kg of meat products that had not gone through proper
quarantine checks.
The destruction of 5,860 tons of fake or highly poisonous
pesticides.
The investigation of 18,000 cases involving the illegal sale of
food products.
The revocation of 15 food exporters' licenses and destruction of
4,000 kg of unsafe imported aquatic products.
The removal from shelves of 309 kinds of drugs, and orders
issued to 165 producers of drugs and medical devices to make
corrections, 60 of which had their licenses revoked.
Lu said the safety of food and drugs in the city has been
greatly improved following the four-month effort.
"But we must not rest on our laurels," he said.
"We should continue the battle as part of our efforts to welcome
the Olympic Games".
On Monday, Pu Changcheng, deputy head of the General
Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine
(AQSIQ), told reporters from home and abroad that the Beijing
Olympics would have safe food.
A number of foreign media reports have alleged that China's food
safety and air quality prompted 20 countries, including Britain,
France, Germany and the United States, to base their training camps
in Japan instead of China this summer.
In response, Pu said such worries were "totally
unnecessary".
"We're 100-percent confident about and more than capable of
providing safe food for the Games," he told a State Council
Information Office press conference.
Pu said all food products supplied for the Olympics will be made
by accredited companies that have passed stringent scientific and
market tests. All such products will also carry a safe quality
label.
As for the broader national campaign, AQSIQ head Li Changjiang
yesterday said it was also a success.
"All the rectification objectives were achieved according to
schedule."
But Vice-Premier Wu Yi has said the picture is not all rosy.
She said a large number of small food plants in the countryside
often fly under the radar and it is still too easy for producers to
break the law.
"There is still the problem of it costing more to uphold the law
than to break it," she said.
Wu said it was also possible to see a rebound, as China's
regulatory system and industry were still underdeveloped.
"But we shouldn't worry about repeated quality problems," she
said. "The key is to stop it happening and to remain on our
guard."
(China Daily January 17, 2008)