WHO主要重視的部份
http://www.who.int/foodsafety/en/
The Department of Food Safety, Zoonoses and Foodborne Diseases (FOS) strives to reduce the serious negative impact of foodborne diseases worldwide. Food and waterborne diarrhoeal diseases are leading causes of illness and death in less developed countries, killing approximately 1.8 million people annually, most of whom are children.
Recent trends in global food production, processing, distribution and preparation are creating an increasing demand for food safety research in order to ensure a safer global food supply. FOS works with other WHO departments, Regional Offices and WHO collaborating centres as well as other international and national agencies. In particular, WHO works closely with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to address food safety issues along the entire food production chain--from production to consumption--using new methods of risk analysis. These methods provide efficient, science-based tools to improve food safety, thereby benefiting both public health and economic development. FOS endeavours to help all WHO Member States, both developing and developed, through the approaches outlined in the WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety.
2007年9月23日 星期日
China's food safety
http://www.economist.com/daily/news/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9325404
Jun 12th 2007
From the Economist Intelligence Unit ViewsWire
A new plan to improve standards of food and drugs
When pet cats and dogs in the US started dying in April, few would have thought that the deaths would have much relevance for the Chinese export juggernaut. But the issue looks like spiralling into a major problem for international traders, and in an effort to cool the controversy China was forced to release on June 6th its first five-year plan to improve food-and-drug safety standards. The plan has a political as well as practical motive, as the government is keen to undo the reputational damage from scandals ranging from food contamination to the sale of fake antibiotics. However, implementation of the plan is likely to be difficult.
China is no stranger to quality problems, be it in food, drugs or toys. The US pet deaths—stemming from the contamination by melamine, a chemical toxin, of a vegetable protein used in animal foods—were not all that different from many other past cases in China. However, the massive scale of the pet-food recall, involving thousands of retail products, was unprecedented. The issue also touched on an unusually emotive subject at a time of rising Sino-US trade tensions. That was not all. The story was followed by a plethora of articles in the foreign media highlighting similar cases, ranging from a series of alleged deaths in Panama last year caused by the use of industrial toxins in cough medicine exported from China to the US Food and Drug Administration's warnings over chemicals in Chinese-made toothpaste. China was on the verge of a global PR disaster.
Investigations into such cases have thrown light on the tangled morass of the Chinese regulatory system. The State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and other agencies have a tendency to pass the buck between each other, denying responsibility for mistakes. That allows producers and traders to get on with business as usual. In many cases a lack of regulatory clarity and co-ordination prevents the authorities from tackling abuses. In others, businesses simply buy the required documentation.
Deadly consequences
It has been an ironic coincidence that the latest furore has come as the former head of the SFDA, Zheng Xiaoyu, was on trial for accepting bribes in return for granting government approval for various medicines in 2005. Amid the international uproar over tainted Chinese products, there was little surprise when the court imposed the death sentence when he was found guilty. But for regulators still trying to save their necks, they now have the unenviable task of sifting through all the drugs and pharmaceutical firms approved for licences under Mr Zheng in an attempt to make sure they did not breach standards.
As Mr Zheng's case—which did not involve exports—showed, this is not purely a problem for foreigners who buy Chinese products. It is a safe to say that many more Chinese people than foreigners are harmed by ingesting toxic or substandard foods and drugs each year. In one particularly tragic case in Anhui in 2004, for example, several babies died of malnutrition after consuming fake baby-milk powder. Investigative programmes exposing factories, farms and restaurants engaged in various nefarious practices with food are a stomach-churning staple of Chinese television.
Yet Chinese officials' reflexive response to more serious cases remains the cover-up. The pet-food case saw a classic hash of a government PR job. First came denial: "The poisoning of American pets has nothing to do with China," claimed a report in the People's Daily. This was followed by a blustering counter-attack noting that food contamination occurred both within the US and with US exports to China. "No food-inspection system is foolproof," pointed out Li Yuanping, director general of the Import and Export Food Safety Bureau. "It's like an airplane. Flying is said to be the safest way to travel, but sometimes you have plane crashes".
Only later did officials start revealing more substantive measures to address the problem, including the release of the five-year food-and-drug safety plan. The plan calls for more inspections of food exports, improved procedures for recalling faulty or tainted products, more pollution monitoring in food-producing areas, as well as an improved structure for monitoring--and blacklisting--food trading companies. According to the Chinese state media, the plan also aims to implement a system of special inspections for 90% of food producers. It also calls for more stringent controls on the use of additives and pesticides, and for nationwide monitoring of the ill effects of medication. However, despite the plan's laudable aims, corruption and inefficiency will continue to leave doors wide open for companies wanting to cut corners.
Legal fallout?
For foreign businesses, the lack of quality control in China is not someone else's problem. Several lawyers have argued that, since Chinese regulatory bodies are demonstrably unfit for purpose, any company accepting Chinese exports with official quality or safety certificates could theoretically be held liable for problems that subsequently emerge. Once again, this dilemma highlights the importance for companies of detailed knowledge of their supply chains in China, and of not taking documentary or verbal assurances at face value. To help deal with such challenges, bigger companies should establish their own internal quality-control mechanisms. But for smaller traders, the costs of such systems could undermine their profitability. For many importers then, the best acid test may well be that if a product's price looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Jun 12th 2007
From the Economist Intelligence Unit ViewsWire
A new plan to improve standards of food and drugs
When pet cats and dogs in the US started dying in April, few would have thought that the deaths would have much relevance for the Chinese export juggernaut. But the issue looks like spiralling into a major problem for international traders, and in an effort to cool the controversy China was forced to release on June 6th its first five-year plan to improve food-and-drug safety standards. The plan has a political as well as practical motive, as the government is keen to undo the reputational damage from scandals ranging from food contamination to the sale of fake antibiotics. However, implementation of the plan is likely to be difficult.
China is no stranger to quality problems, be it in food, drugs or toys. The US pet deaths—stemming from the contamination by melamine, a chemical toxin, of a vegetable protein used in animal foods—were not all that different from many other past cases in China. However, the massive scale of the pet-food recall, involving thousands of retail products, was unprecedented. The issue also touched on an unusually emotive subject at a time of rising Sino-US trade tensions. That was not all. The story was followed by a plethora of articles in the foreign media highlighting similar cases, ranging from a series of alleged deaths in Panama last year caused by the use of industrial toxins in cough medicine exported from China to the US Food and Drug Administration's warnings over chemicals in Chinese-made toothpaste. China was on the verge of a global PR disaster.
Investigations into such cases have thrown light on the tangled morass of the Chinese regulatory system. The State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and other agencies have a tendency to pass the buck between each other, denying responsibility for mistakes. That allows producers and traders to get on with business as usual. In many cases a lack of regulatory clarity and co-ordination prevents the authorities from tackling abuses. In others, businesses simply buy the required documentation.
Deadly consequences
It has been an ironic coincidence that the latest furore has come as the former head of the SFDA, Zheng Xiaoyu, was on trial for accepting bribes in return for granting government approval for various medicines in 2005. Amid the international uproar over tainted Chinese products, there was little surprise when the court imposed the death sentence when he was found guilty. But for regulators still trying to save their necks, they now have the unenviable task of sifting through all the drugs and pharmaceutical firms approved for licences under Mr Zheng in an attempt to make sure they did not breach standards.
As Mr Zheng's case—which did not involve exports—showed, this is not purely a problem for foreigners who buy Chinese products. It is a safe to say that many more Chinese people than foreigners are harmed by ingesting toxic or substandard foods and drugs each year. In one particularly tragic case in Anhui in 2004, for example, several babies died of malnutrition after consuming fake baby-milk powder. Investigative programmes exposing factories, farms and restaurants engaged in various nefarious practices with food are a stomach-churning staple of Chinese television.
Yet Chinese officials' reflexive response to more serious cases remains the cover-up. The pet-food case saw a classic hash of a government PR job. First came denial: "The poisoning of American pets has nothing to do with China," claimed a report in the People's Daily. This was followed by a blustering counter-attack noting that food contamination occurred both within the US and with US exports to China. "No food-inspection system is foolproof," pointed out Li Yuanping, director general of the Import and Export Food Safety Bureau. "It's like an airplane. Flying is said to be the safest way to travel, but sometimes you have plane crashes".
Only later did officials start revealing more substantive measures to address the problem, including the release of the five-year food-and-drug safety plan. The plan calls for more inspections of food exports, improved procedures for recalling faulty or tainted products, more pollution monitoring in food-producing areas, as well as an improved structure for monitoring--and blacklisting--food trading companies. According to the Chinese state media, the plan also aims to implement a system of special inspections for 90% of food producers. It also calls for more stringent controls on the use of additives and pesticides, and for nationwide monitoring of the ill effects of medication. However, despite the plan's laudable aims, corruption and inefficiency will continue to leave doors wide open for companies wanting to cut corners.
Legal fallout?
For foreign businesses, the lack of quality control in China is not someone else's problem. Several lawyers have argued that, since Chinese regulatory bodies are demonstrably unfit for purpose, any company accepting Chinese exports with official quality or safety certificates could theoretically be held liable for problems that subsequently emerge. Once again, this dilemma highlights the importance for companies of detailed knowledge of their supply chains in China, and of not taking documentary or verbal assurances at face value. To help deal with such challenges, bigger companies should establish their own internal quality-control mechanisms. But for smaller traders, the costs of such systems could undermine their profitability. For many importers then, the best acid test may well be that if a product's price looks too good to be true, it probably is.
China defends food safety in WHO report
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/08/28/china.who.reut/index.html?iref=newssearch
BEIJING, China (Reuters) -- China has sent a notice to the World Health Organization defending its food safety standards and repeating what is becoming a standard line that more than 99 percent of its food exports are up to standard.
A series of scandals involving substandard Chinese exports ranging from pet food and toothpaste to toys has put increasing pressure on Beijing to clean up its manufacturing sector.
The notice, posted on the Health Ministry's Web site (www.moh.gov.cn) on Wednesday but sent one week ago also said that China was willing to cooperate globally to tackle the problem.
"The Chinese government is willing to increase information exchange and communication with international society and other countries in line with its attitude of openness and transparency," the notice said.
"We hope the World Health Organization gives support and help to China's food safety work and also reports on the situation to member states."
The notice detailed the actions and laws China has adopted to ensure food safety, explained the roles of the various watchdog bodies and promised to "strike hard" against illegal behavior by companies.
"The Chinese government pays great attention to friendly cooperation in the food safety field with other countries, regions and international bodies, and emphasizes drawing on the experience of advanced global management and examination and testing technology," the ministry said.
"This will push the raising of the general quality of China's food."
It said overall quality of farm products had increased hugely.
"At present ,more than 94 percent of vegetables meet chemical residue standards," the notice said.
A spokeswoman for the WHO in Beijing said though it had not requested the Health Ministry's report, it welcomed it.
"We have been working pretty closely with the government to strengthen food safety in China," said spokeswoman Joanna Brent. "While there's nothing specifically new in it, it does shows that China has recognized it has a challenge and is working to address it. We're pretty positive about that."
BEIJING, China (Reuters) -- China has sent a notice to the World Health Organization defending its food safety standards and repeating what is becoming a standard line that more than 99 percent of its food exports are up to standard.
A series of scandals involving substandard Chinese exports ranging from pet food and toothpaste to toys has put increasing pressure on Beijing to clean up its manufacturing sector.
The notice, posted on the Health Ministry's Web site (www.moh.gov.cn) on Wednesday but sent one week ago also said that China was willing to cooperate globally to tackle the problem.
"The Chinese government is willing to increase information exchange and communication with international society and other countries in line with its attitude of openness and transparency," the notice said.
"We hope the World Health Organization gives support and help to China's food safety work and also reports on the situation to member states."
The notice detailed the actions and laws China has adopted to ensure food safety, explained the roles of the various watchdog bodies and promised to "strike hard" against illegal behavior by companies.
"The Chinese government pays great attention to friendly cooperation in the food safety field with other countries, regions and international bodies, and emphasizes drawing on the experience of advanced global management and examination and testing technology," the ministry said.
"This will push the raising of the general quality of China's food."
It said overall quality of farm products had increased hugely.
"At present ,more than 94 percent of vegetables meet chemical residue standards," the notice said.
A spokeswoman for the WHO in Beijing said though it had not requested the Health Ministry's report, it welcomed it.
"We have been working pretty closely with the government to strengthen food safety in China," said spokeswoman Joanna Brent. "While there's nothing specifically new in it, it does shows that China has recognized it has a challenge and is working to address it. We're pretty positive about that."
Chinese product scares prompt US fears
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6275758.stm
More products are being imported to the US from China than ever before - but a series of scares has left some wondering whether they are safe.
From pet food to toothpaste, tyres to jewellery and seafood to toys, questions have been raised over the reliability of Chinese-made goods.
As the death of a child who swallowed a magnet from a Chinese-made toy last year and the illness of others who have consumed contaminated food suggest, the risks presented by unsafe goods can be great.
In Panama, the deaths of some 51 people have been blamed on cough syrup tainted with Chinese-made diethylene glycol, commonly used in antifreeze. The same chemical has been found in toothpastes from China sold in the US and Canada.
Earlier this year, more than 100 brands of cat and dog food were pulled from the shelves in the US after pets died from eating food contaminated with the chemical melamine, traced back to wheat gluten from China.
With Chinese imports totalling $288bn last year - nearly triple the figure of five years ago - is enough being done to protect consumers?
'Time needed'
The execution for corruption on Tuesday of the former head of China's State Food and Drug Administration, Zheng Xiaoyu, suggests Beijing is keen to show it is taking the problem seriously.
But part of the problem is that the speed of China's expansion into the global export market has not been matched by the growth of a countrywide regulatory infrastructure.
The Chinese authorities say they are making efforts to improve supervision of safety standards, but that it will take time for them to catch up with the West.
American officials whose job it is to ensure the safety of imported products acknowledge there are problems - but say they are doing all they can to identify suspect goods.
For example, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently imposed a nationwide hold on the import of five types of farmed fish and seafood from China.
Some shipments were found to have traces of antibiotics and disinfectants that are banned in US fish production. Other inspections uncovered fish products described as "filthy" or tainted with salmonella and pesticides.
The US imports about a fifth of its seafood from China.
'Out of nowhere'
Another danger comes when contaminants which would not normally be tested for end up in the food chain - such as melamine, a chemical used in plastic products which caused kidney failure in pets.
David Acheson, the FDA's assistant commissioner for food safety, said: "The bottom line message is to focus the testing on areas where we have identified problems. We cannot even begin to test on everything.
"There are certain things we can predict are going to be a problem because we've seen it before, other countries have had the problem... but sometimes things come out of nowhere, completely unexpected. The melamine was an example of that."
Meanwhile the FDA has to juggle the need to avoid inaccurate advice or over-reaction with the desire to warn people of a potential risk as quickly as possible.
"I would always like us to react faster. We react as quickly as we can on the information we have," Mr Acheson said.
The FDA does not have the resources to send lots of inspectors into China, Mr Acheson added, so is working with the Chinese authorities to address the issues.
'Very scary'
Of course, China is not the only country to experience food safety problems.
US-grown spinach last year caused an E.coli outbreak that left one woman dead and some 200 others unwell. The FDA has previously halted imports of Mexican cantaloupes because of salmonella.
The difference, however, seems to be the frequency with which Chinese products are being pulled up.
Dietician Ruth Frechman, a California-based member of the American Dietetic Association, says the recent run of scares has heightened people's anxieties.
While no clients have yet asked her for advice on avoiding Chinese products, she says, one has started making her own dog food following the pet food alert.
The chief problem is that food labels do not identify where all the ingredients have come from - and even restaurants and wholesalers may not know, Ms Frechman said.
"It's very scary for consumers and really as a consumer you have no idea that the product is even coming from China... so there's really not a lot the consumer can do," she said.
Toxic lead
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which monitors the safety of imported non-food goods, says it has seen increased concern among consumers.
Its officials are seeking to co-operate with their Chinese counterparts, with CPSC inspectors travelling to factories in Beijing, Shanghai and big manufacturing regions.
"The first step for us is to educate all of those people who we are working with on US safety standards. Many of those standards have saved lives," CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson said.
"Our goal is to see as much progress as we can - and what that might mean here for us in the US is fewer recalls of Chinese-made products."
Overall, at least 60% of recalls issued by the agency since last October have involved goods from China.
In the first week of July alone, they included hammock stands, children's toys and metal jewellery, all of which were potentially dangerous.
One of the biggest recalls, in June, involved some 1.5m Thomas and Friends toy trains containing lead paint, which can be toxic to young children if swallowed.
Mr Wolfson urges consumers, particularly worried parents, to subscribe to the CPSC's free e-mail alerts for the latest advice.
Success story
A lesson may lie in the approach taken by the fireworks industry, which has focused on education and stringent product testing within China.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, standards for Chinese-made fireworks were so low that as many as 75% failed US safety tests.
To tackle the problem, US importers were encouraged to pay for a testing operation set up in China - the American Fireworks Standards Laboratory (AFSL) - to monitor production straight from the assembly line.
At least three-quarters of US fireworks importers are signed up to the scheme and the lab has about 50 technicians in China.
Since 1994, injury rates among US consumers have dropped by more than two-thirds and sales of fireworks have increased greatly. About 99% of the fireworks used in the US come from China.
John Rogers, executive director of the AFSL, said: "It's had a very positive impact for the American public, for the government that regulates fireworks and obviously for the companies."
He admits that initially Chinese factories "weren't happy" about the AFSL's checks but, as Chinese-language guidelines were produced to help them meet US requirements, attitudes changed.
"What the manufacturers understand is that safer, better quality fireworks translates into bigger sales, so now they like what we do," he said.
"I think that every industry that imports products from China could very well benefit from this kind of a programme."
Of course, the majority of goods imported from China are perfectly safe - but until standards improve across the board, US consumers must rely on officials to sift out potential hazards before they cause harm.
More products are being imported to the US from China than ever before - but a series of scares has left some wondering whether they are safe.
From pet food to toothpaste, tyres to jewellery and seafood to toys, questions have been raised over the reliability of Chinese-made goods.
As the death of a child who swallowed a magnet from a Chinese-made toy last year and the illness of others who have consumed contaminated food suggest, the risks presented by unsafe goods can be great.
In Panama, the deaths of some 51 people have been blamed on cough syrup tainted with Chinese-made diethylene glycol, commonly used in antifreeze. The same chemical has been found in toothpastes from China sold in the US and Canada.
Earlier this year, more than 100 brands of cat and dog food were pulled from the shelves in the US after pets died from eating food contaminated with the chemical melamine, traced back to wheat gluten from China.
With Chinese imports totalling $288bn last year - nearly triple the figure of five years ago - is enough being done to protect consumers?
'Time needed'
The execution for corruption on Tuesday of the former head of China's State Food and Drug Administration, Zheng Xiaoyu, suggests Beijing is keen to show it is taking the problem seriously.
But part of the problem is that the speed of China's expansion into the global export market has not been matched by the growth of a countrywide regulatory infrastructure.
The Chinese authorities say they are making efforts to improve supervision of safety standards, but that it will take time for them to catch up with the West.
American officials whose job it is to ensure the safety of imported products acknowledge there are problems - but say they are doing all they can to identify suspect goods.
For example, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently imposed a nationwide hold on the import of five types of farmed fish and seafood from China.
Some shipments were found to have traces of antibiotics and disinfectants that are banned in US fish production. Other inspections uncovered fish products described as "filthy" or tainted with salmonella and pesticides.
The US imports about a fifth of its seafood from China.
'Out of nowhere'
Another danger comes when contaminants which would not normally be tested for end up in the food chain - such as melamine, a chemical used in plastic products which caused kidney failure in pets.
David Acheson, the FDA's assistant commissioner for food safety, said: "The bottom line message is to focus the testing on areas where we have identified problems. We cannot even begin to test on everything.
"There are certain things we can predict are going to be a problem because we've seen it before, other countries have had the problem... but sometimes things come out of nowhere, completely unexpected. The melamine was an example of that."
Meanwhile the FDA has to juggle the need to avoid inaccurate advice or over-reaction with the desire to warn people of a potential risk as quickly as possible.
"I would always like us to react faster. We react as quickly as we can on the information we have," Mr Acheson said.
The FDA does not have the resources to send lots of inspectors into China, Mr Acheson added, so is working with the Chinese authorities to address the issues.
'Very scary'
Of course, China is not the only country to experience food safety problems.
US-grown spinach last year caused an E.coli outbreak that left one woman dead and some 200 others unwell. The FDA has previously halted imports of Mexican cantaloupes because of salmonella.
The difference, however, seems to be the frequency with which Chinese products are being pulled up.
Dietician Ruth Frechman, a California-based member of the American Dietetic Association, says the recent run of scares has heightened people's anxieties.
While no clients have yet asked her for advice on avoiding Chinese products, she says, one has started making her own dog food following the pet food alert.
The chief problem is that food labels do not identify where all the ingredients have come from - and even restaurants and wholesalers may not know, Ms Frechman said.
"It's very scary for consumers and really as a consumer you have no idea that the product is even coming from China... so there's really not a lot the consumer can do," she said.
Toxic lead
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which monitors the safety of imported non-food goods, says it has seen increased concern among consumers.
Its officials are seeking to co-operate with their Chinese counterparts, with CPSC inspectors travelling to factories in Beijing, Shanghai and big manufacturing regions.
"The first step for us is to educate all of those people who we are working with on US safety standards. Many of those standards have saved lives," CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson said.
"Our goal is to see as much progress as we can - and what that might mean here for us in the US is fewer recalls of Chinese-made products."
Overall, at least 60% of recalls issued by the agency since last October have involved goods from China.
In the first week of July alone, they included hammock stands, children's toys and metal jewellery, all of which were potentially dangerous.
One of the biggest recalls, in June, involved some 1.5m Thomas and Friends toy trains containing lead paint, which can be toxic to young children if swallowed.
Mr Wolfson urges consumers, particularly worried parents, to subscribe to the CPSC's free e-mail alerts for the latest advice.
Success story
A lesson may lie in the approach taken by the fireworks industry, which has focused on education and stringent product testing within China.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, standards for Chinese-made fireworks were so low that as many as 75% failed US safety tests.
To tackle the problem, US importers were encouraged to pay for a testing operation set up in China - the American Fireworks Standards Laboratory (AFSL) - to monitor production straight from the assembly line.
At least three-quarters of US fireworks importers are signed up to the scheme and the lab has about 50 technicians in China.
Since 1994, injury rates among US consumers have dropped by more than two-thirds and sales of fireworks have increased greatly. About 99% of the fireworks used in the US come from China.
John Rogers, executive director of the AFSL, said: "It's had a very positive impact for the American public, for the government that regulates fireworks and obviously for the companies."
He admits that initially Chinese factories "weren't happy" about the AFSL's checks but, as Chinese-language guidelines were produced to help them meet US requirements, attitudes changed.
"What the manufacturers understand is that safer, better quality fireworks translates into bigger sales, so now they like what we do," he said.
"I think that every industry that imports products from China could very well benefit from this kind of a programme."
Of course, the majority of goods imported from China are perfectly safe - but until standards improve across the board, US consumers must rely on officials to sift out potential hazards before they cause harm.
China cracks down on food safety
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6638113.stm
Last Updated: Wednesday, 9 May 2007, 11:49 GMT 12:49 UK
China has pledged to clean up its tainted food and drug industry after a series of safety scares that have aroused global concern.
The announcement comes as two company managers were detained, accused of adding melamine to food additives.
The contaminated ingredient used in pet food led to the death of a number of cats and dogs, US inspectors allege.
Unregulated drugs have also been a concern. China's top drugs regulator is to go on trial charged with corruption.
State media said the trial of Zheng Xiaoyu, sacked in 2005 as head of the State Food and Drug Administration, would open this month.
He is accused of taking large bribes to approve untested medicine.
His case prompted the government to review the licences granted to around 170,000 medicines approved during his tenure.
Standards overhaul
China's State Council, or Cabinet, said the nationwide crackdown on woefully corrupt practices in the country's drug and food industry would compel companies to adopt "standards used in food-importing countries".
They also pledged to test products made in animal feed and food for humans, including cooking oil, flour, beverages and baby food.
Melamine has no nutritional value but because it is rich in nitrogen, it makes food that uses it an ingredient appear to have more protein than it actually does and so meet required contractual obligations.
It is illegal to add melamine to food or animal feed in the US.
The two firms accused of exporting melamine-spiked food additives were named as Binzhou Futian Biology Technology and Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Company.
Both firms have denied any wrongdoing.
Officials from the US Food and Agriculture department have arrived in China to help investigate how the melamine compound got into the batch of feed that killed pets in the US.
They say Washington has considered a ban on imports of wheat gluten and rice protein from China.
Last Updated: Wednesday, 9 May 2007, 11:49 GMT 12:49 UK
China has pledged to clean up its tainted food and drug industry after a series of safety scares that have aroused global concern.
The announcement comes as two company managers were detained, accused of adding melamine to food additives.
The contaminated ingredient used in pet food led to the death of a number of cats and dogs, US inspectors allege.
Unregulated drugs have also been a concern. China's top drugs regulator is to go on trial charged with corruption.
State media said the trial of Zheng Xiaoyu, sacked in 2005 as head of the State Food and Drug Administration, would open this month.
He is accused of taking large bribes to approve untested medicine.
His case prompted the government to review the licences granted to around 170,000 medicines approved during his tenure.
Standards overhaul
China's State Council, or Cabinet, said the nationwide crackdown on woefully corrupt practices in the country's drug and food industry would compel companies to adopt "standards used in food-importing countries".
They also pledged to test products made in animal feed and food for humans, including cooking oil, flour, beverages and baby food.
Melamine has no nutritional value but because it is rich in nitrogen, it makes food that uses it an ingredient appear to have more protein than it actually does and so meet required contractual obligations.
It is illegal to add melamine to food or animal feed in the US.
The two firms accused of exporting melamine-spiked food additives were named as Binzhou Futian Biology Technology and Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Company.
Both firms have denied any wrongdoing.
Officials from the US Food and Agriculture department have arrived in China to help investigate how the melamine compound got into the batch of feed that killed pets in the US.
They say Washington has considered a ban on imports of wheat gluten and rice protein from China.
China food safety head executed
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6286698.stm
The former head of China's State Food and Drug Administration, Zheng Xiaoyu, has been executed for corruption, the state-run Xinhua news agency reports.
He was convicted of taking 6.5m yuan ($850,000; £425,400) in bribes and of dereliction of duty at a trial in May.
The bribes were linked to sub-standard medicines, blamed for several deaths.
China has been criticised over a number of recent cases involving tainted goods, and correspondents say Zheng had become a symbol of the crisis.
Zheng had appealed against his sentence, arguing that it was "too severe" and saying he had confessed his crimes and co-operated with police.
But his appeal, heard in mid-June, was rejected shortly afterwards.
Toxic chemicals
Zheng, who headed the administration from 1998 to 2005, was found guilty of accepting bribes from firms to register their products without making them undergo the necessary checks.
Following his sacking, the Chinese government announced an urgent review of about 170,000 medical licences that were awarded during his tenure at the agency.
Zheng's sentence was seen as unusually harsh for such a senior figure, but the BBC's Dan Griffiths in Beijing says the government hopes the execution shows it is getting to grips with the crisis.
However, food and drug safety standards vary widely across the country and reform will be a major challenge, our correspondent adds.
At a news conference in Beijing on Tuesday, the food and drug agency admitted it had a huge job ahead to improve its supervision of safety standards.
"As a developing country, China's food and drug supervision work began late and its foundations are weak," spokeswoman Yan Jiangying said.
"Therefore, the food and drug safety situation is not something we can be optimistic about."
She said Zheng Xiaoyu's case had "brought shame" on the department, adding that anyone who abused their power would be punished.
Chinese officials have already acknowledged that the country could face social unrest and a tarnished image abroad unless improvements are made.
Dozens of people have died in China because of poor quality or fake food and drugs, sparking widespread international fears about the safety of Chinese exports.
Thirteen babies died of malnutrition in 2005 after being fed powdered milk that had no nutritional value.
US inspectors have blamed exported Chinese pet food ingredients, contaminated with melamine, for the deaths of cats and dogs in North America.
And they recently halted shipments of toothpaste from China to investigate reports that they may be contaminated with toxic chemicals.
The former head of China's State Food and Drug Administration, Zheng Xiaoyu, has been executed for corruption, the state-run Xinhua news agency reports.
He was convicted of taking 6.5m yuan ($850,000; £425,400) in bribes and of dereliction of duty at a trial in May.
The bribes were linked to sub-standard medicines, blamed for several deaths.
China has been criticised over a number of recent cases involving tainted goods, and correspondents say Zheng had become a symbol of the crisis.
Zheng had appealed against his sentence, arguing that it was "too severe" and saying he had confessed his crimes and co-operated with police.
But his appeal, heard in mid-June, was rejected shortly afterwards.
Toxic chemicals
Zheng, who headed the administration from 1998 to 2005, was found guilty of accepting bribes from firms to register their products without making them undergo the necessary checks.
Following his sacking, the Chinese government announced an urgent review of about 170,000 medical licences that were awarded during his tenure at the agency.
Zheng's sentence was seen as unusually harsh for such a senior figure, but the BBC's Dan Griffiths in Beijing says the government hopes the execution shows it is getting to grips with the crisis.
However, food and drug safety standards vary widely across the country and reform will be a major challenge, our correspondent adds.
At a news conference in Beijing on Tuesday, the food and drug agency admitted it had a huge job ahead to improve its supervision of safety standards.
"As a developing country, China's food and drug supervision work began late and its foundations are weak," spokeswoman Yan Jiangying said.
"Therefore, the food and drug safety situation is not something we can be optimistic about."
She said Zheng Xiaoyu's case had "brought shame" on the department, adding that anyone who abused their power would be punished.
Chinese officials have already acknowledged that the country could face social unrest and a tarnished image abroad unless improvements are made.
Dozens of people have died in China because of poor quality or fake food and drugs, sparking widespread international fears about the safety of Chinese exports.
Thirteen babies died of malnutrition in 2005 after being fed powdered milk that had no nutritional value.
US inspectors have blamed exported Chinese pet food ingredients, contaminated with melamine, for the deaths of cats and dogs in North America.
And they recently halted shipments of toothpaste from China to investigate reports that they may be contaminated with toxic chemicals.
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