CHINA> National
Food industry to expand 16.7 percent
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-11-21 21:57

BEIJING: Output value of China's food industry is expected to grow 16.7 percent year on year, according to China National Food Industry Association (CNFIA).

Related readings:
Food industry to expand 16.7 percent World leaders' low turnout hits UN food summit
Food industry to expand 16.7 percent Pearl River Source Food Culture Activities Week of Qujing
Food industry to expand 16.7 percent Tainted food surprisingly deadly in adults: WHO
Food industry to expand 16.7 percent Food safety worries rural parents

Liu Zhi, CNFIA executive vice chairman, told the Seventh China Food Safety Annual Meeting held here on Saturday, that output value of the country's food industry was expected to top 4.9 trillion yuan ($717 billion) this year.

In the first five months of this year, output of the country's food industry was 1.82 trillion yuan, an increase of 14.6 percent over the same period last year.

China's food industry grows fast these years, while food safety situation is continuing improved, said Xiang Yuzhang, chief inspector of General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

According to Xiang, the country's food safety watch dogs at all levels launched inspections to 1 million food producers this year, registered and investigated 70,000 cases.

Rate of qualified food products was 98.5 percent in the first half of this year, according to the country's food safety inspection departments nationwide, said Xiang.