China launches campaign to promote food safety

BEIJING -- Chinese authorities have launched a national campaign to call for joint efforts to enhance food safety.

The China Food Safety Publicity Week is an annual event initiated in 2011. The campaign will last from June 18 to 30 this year and highlights making people's life better via enhanced food safety.

Over 50 activities such as exhibitions and training will be organized during the campaign.

Supervision will be tightened with more random checks, and increased efforts will be made to ensure food safety in areas including baby formula, meals and food supplied on campus, and health-promoting products, said Xiao Yaqing, head of the State Administration for Market Regulation.

China has pledged unwavering efforts in developing standards, conducting regulation, imposing penalties and seeking accountability to ensure food safety.

A guideline was released in May to enhance the country's food safety with a phased plan to build a modern governance mechanism in the field.

More than 97 percent of the country's major produce should pass quality and food safety tests by 2020, while over 98 percent of food should pass spot checks, the guideline said.

By 2035, China should have a set of world-leading food safety standards, a marked drop in illegal practices and globally advanced risk control capabilities.