Beijing tightens food safety procedures

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-03-02 15:59

Legislation and inspection work is underway to ensure that there are no food safety scares at big events hosted in Beijing, according to the municipal's public security bureau Friday.

Inspectors will carry out round-the-clock surveillance in food companies catering for the forthcoming sessions for the National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) from March 3 to 16, making sure that no problems arise during production and transportation of food.

The inspectors will scrutinize the sanitary conditions of vehicles and the health of staff members involved in catering work. Inspections will continue throughout the fortnight-long congress and conference, said Fu Guangli, an official with the city's public security bureau.

Food will be sampled for a period of 24 hours to facilitate any follow-up investigations, Fu said.

The food inspection system for big events, which will soon become law, is likely to be the model for food services during the Olympic Games in Beijing in August 2008.