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China plugs in flaws on drug
regulation
Safety of food & drugs made in
China has been under question of late.
June 25, 2007
The People’s Republic of China is
trying to revamp its food and drug
safety regulations which it found
lacking in many ways.
The move would include introduction of
nationwide inspections to crack on the
sale of dangerous food stuffs and
counterfeit medicinal products.
The State Council’s decision comes in
the wake of a series of incidents
implicating China on export of tainted
ingredients such as contaminated pet
foods by the chemical melamine which
triggered one of the largest pet food
recalls in United States history.
It was reported that at least 100
people had died in Panama after taking
medicine containing a toxic chemical
called diethylene glycol that had been
produced in China.
Also, several countries, including the
United States, Panama and Nicaragua,
recalled or issued warnings, recently,
about toothpaste made in China because
it contained diethylene glycol.
However, Beijing continued to defend
the quality and safety of its food and
drug exports.
China said the State Council - the
nation’s highest administrative body-
had approved a new food and drug
safety guarantee system on April 17
and that an outline of the program was
being distributed to government
agencies nationwide.
By 2010 it would place new controls on
food and drug imports and exports and
to step up random testing on
medicines. It would have information
on inspections of 90 percent of all
food products, although it was unclear
how that would work, China announced
in an official website.
The General Administration of Quality
Supervision, Inspection and
Quarantine, which oversees food and
drug exports, posted statements on its
Web site about the issue: ``Recently,
our country has had a series of export
food problems, and that has triggered
a lot of overseas attention about
China’s food safety. This has put us
on high alert, and led us to seriously
look into the reasons for the
problem.”
Food and drug safety experts have
complained for years about a flawed
system that has led to food scares or
mass poisonings tied to counterfeit or
substandard medicines on the market.
Recently, a Chinese court handed down
a death sentence against Zheng Xiaoyu,
the head of the Food and Drug
Administration in China from 1998 to
2005, after he pleaded guilty to
bribery and corruption charges.
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