China approves food safety law, WHO lauds efforts

By Ben Blanchard

BEIJING (Reuters) - The Chinese government approved in principle on Wednesday a new food safety law aimed at raising standards at every level of production, a senior official said.

The quality of Chinese goods has come under international scrutiny following scandals involving products ranging from toothpaste and pet food to toys and fish.

Beijing insists the issue is limited to a few errant companies and is being hyped by foreign media as well as being driven by a protectionist agenda in some countries. But it has also vowed to tighten checks and crack down on illegal behavior.

The State Council, or cabinet, has now approved the food safety law and it will be passed to the largely rubber-stamp parliament for the final nod, product quality watchdog chief Li Changjiang told World Health Organization head Margaret Chan.

"This law totally covers how to standardize our food products' production, processing, sale and supervision," Li told reporters.

"I believe that the promulgation of this law will certainly effectively raise China's food safety situation and guarantee food safety and people's health," he said, but gave no timetable.

The law mandates better release of information about food safety issues, higher fines for wayward firms and punishment of officials who act irresponsibly, and guarantees the public's right to compensation and to sue, the central government said on its Web site (www.gov.cn).

Food imports and exports will also be more closely examined, it added.