Food Safety Crackdown in China

In a major crackdown on illegal food additives, China has arrested around 2,000 people and closed nearly 5,000 businesses after a wave of contamination scares, the government said.

China launched the campaign in April following a spate of tainted food scandals -- included pork found on the market so loaded with bacteria that it reportedly glowed in the dark.

China Firms Found Selling Melamine-tainted Food: State Media Report
According to a state media report on Monday, three Chinese companies have been found selling food products tainted with melamine, the chemical blamed for the deaths of six babies.

Nearly six million food businesses have now been investigated and more than 4,900 shut down for "illegal practices", the government's Food Safety Commission said in a statement.

Police have also destroyed "underground" food production and storage sites, and arrested around 2,000 suspects, it said, adding that anyone found breaking the law would be severely punished.

China pledged to clean up its food industry after milk products tainted with the industrial chemical melamine -- added to give the appearance of high protein content -- killed at least six babies and sickened 300,000 in 2008.

China Rice Contaminated With Heavy Metals
Up to 10 percent of rice grown in China is contaminated with harmful heavy metals but little has been done to highlight the possible public health risks, a report said.

In 2009 the country passed a food safety law to try to allay public concern.

But authorities have continued to discover bean sprouts laced with cancer-causing nitrates, steamed buns with banned chemical preservatives, and rice laced with heavy metals, prompting the latest crackdown.

China to Stop Use of Leather Protein in Food Production
China guaranteed to halt the use of leather protein in production of food.

Source-AFP

Food Safety Crackdown in China - 2000 Arrests