The number of reported food poisoning cases in China fell to 177
from the end of August to the end of December, 15.3 percent down
from the same period a year earlier, the Ministry of Health said
Monday.
The number of people affected by food poisoning dropped 40
percent to 4,047 over the past four months, the ministry said in a
teleconference on catering safety.
It attributed the decline to a nationwide campaign initiated in
August on catering sector food safety.
"It played an effective role in enhancing health standards and
preventing poisoning cases and intestinal infectious disease," the
ministry said.
By the end of last year, all of the country's 1.32 million
restaurants and catering units at or above county level had been
able to routinely check its suppliers' hygiene certificates when
buying raw materials, according to the ministry.
During the campaign, health departments punished almost 150,000
unlicensed catering businesses and uncovered 8,873 violations for
illegally using raw materials, such as processing food where the
animal had died of disease.
(Xinhua News Agency January 15, 2008)