China promises food safety
2008-09-27 14:32
Tianjin, China - Premier Wen Jiabao promised on Saturday to improve China's food safety amid a widening scandal over tainted milk that has sickened more than 50 000 children.
"We plan not only to revitalize the food industry and the milk powder industry; we will try to ensure that all China-made products are safe for consumers and consumers can buy with assurance," Wen said in a speech at the World Economic Forum.
Wen announced no new initiatives but promised the government will make efforts to instil business ethics after a string of product safety disasters.
The latest scandal erupted this month after the industrial chemical melamine was found in milk powder linked to kidney stones in babies, as well as in liquid milk, yogurt and other products.
Authorities say suppliers might have added melamine, which is rich in nitrogen, to watered-down milk to deceive quality tests for protein.
The incident "has revealed to us that in the process of development, the government should pay more attention to business ethics and social morality," Wen said.
The premier defended Beijing's handling of the crisis.
"When this kind of problem of food safety occurs, we do not cover it up. We face it candidly and have taken bold moves to address it. I think this has laid a good foundation for resolving problems," he said.
Wen welcomed a gesture of trust on Friday by European Union trade commissioner Peter Mandelson, who drank a glass of Chinese milk in front of television news cameras during a visit to Beijing.
"I was deeply moved by that," Wen said.
- AP