China lets off steam over perfectly round buns

BEIJING (Reuters) - Thousands of Chinese snack vendors are happily digesting news that China's ubiquitous steamed bun, or "mantou", does not have to be perfectly round.

China has battled to boost food quality and standards in the wake of a string of food safety scandals, but media reports of a new standard for "mantou", a cheap wheat-based snack sold on street corners, outraged Internet users and academics.

China's quality watch-dog denied that standards recommending a "perfect shape" for mantou held the force of law.

"There are no specific regulations on the shape of wheat-flour mantou in the standard," the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said on its Web site.

State media hailed the clarification as timely and blamed the uproar on authorities for failing to communicate clearly and on local reporters for "sensationalism".

"The episode offers something for the authorities to chew on -- if the public was properly informed ... such a situation may not have occurred at all," an editorial in the China Daily said on Monday.

"That said, we are sad to learn our innocent public has fallen victim again to bogus reporting."

Steamed buns have previously been at the heart of China's battle to improve food quality amidst low government transparency and salacious news reporting.

China jailed a reporter after scandalous TV footage of a Beijing snack vendor stuffing steamed buns, or "baozi", with flavored cardboard was aired on state channels and later found to be faked last year.

But many Chinese refused to believe the story was faked and accused local authorities of covering up the truth amidst the series of global food scandals.