Food safety食品安全.docVIP

Food safety a top priority By Wu Jiao, Li Xiaokun and Shan Juan (China Daily) Updated: 11-03-03 Assets of officials will be made public gradually, says spokesman BEIJING - A warning to potential food safety offenders has been issued by a senior member of the top political advisory body after a number of incidents of food contamination caused deaths and endangered lives. Describing the producers of contaminated food as lacking integrity and shame, Zhao Qizheng, spokesman for the Fourth Session of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), warned that the revised Criminal Law will serve as a deterrent to potential offenders. Zhao also called on the health authorities and those entrusted with quality supervision to improve monitoring, and asked the media to act as supervisors. The Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress (NPC), the top legislature, passed an amendment to the Criminal Law on Feb 25 at its bi-monthly session. While reducing the number of crimes punishable by death by 13 to 55, the revised law imposes harsher punishments on offenders involved in food-related crimes, including capital punishment. Zhao issued the warning while asked to comment on recent food-safety scandals at the first news conference of the Fourth Session of the 11th National Committee of the CPPCC, which will last until March 13. Enterprises must have credibility, and notorious firms like Sanlu, producer of melamine-tainted baby formula products, are doomed to perish, he said. According to Zhao, China has become increasingly aware of issues involving food safety, as proven by the stricter penalties. In recent years, food safety has become a major public concern on the mainland after a series of scandals involving the illegal use of prohibited ingredients and additives. In 2008, melamine-tainted milk powder led to at least six infant deaths and 300,000 fell ill after being fed contaminated products. The incident has taken a he