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Crackdown urged on food-safety violators
Source: Xinhua/Shanghai Daily |
September 16, 2010, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
Law hardens on food criminals
Four Chinese government agencies jointly released a circular yesterday urging a "high-voltage" crackdown and tougher punishments for food safety crimes.
When sentencing criminals, Chinese courts should weigh offenders' subjective culpability, criminal methods and the harm they do to various markets, the document says. The courts now consider casualties and the amount of money involved.
Repeat offenders, leaders of criminal groups and those who severely harm people or are involved in large-scale sales should be "strictly" punished.
"Those deserving death penalties should be resolutely sentenced to death," it said.
The circular also vowed harsher punishment for government officials who accept bribes and protect or ignore food safety criminals.
"Generally, officials who are involved in food safety crimes should not be given a reprieve or be exempt from criminal punishment," said the document.
The document was issued by the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Justice.
Food safety has become a nationwide concern in China after a spate of food safety incidents, including contamination and the use of prohibited ingredients.
In 2008, melamine-tainted milk in baby formula caused at least six infant deaths and 300,000 to fall ill.
One of the most recent scandals involved a brand of edible cooking oil that was found to contain ingredients that can lead to cancer.
Jinhao Camellia Oil Co Ltd early this month admitted that nine batches, or 42 tons, of its camellia seed cooking oil made between December and March contained excessive amounts of benzo(a)pyrene, a cancer-causing substance - something it had vehemently denied two weeks earlier.
Jinhao said it knew about the problem in March, when local quality inspectors seized 22.4 tons in its warehouse.
Jinhao secretly recalled the oil from the market but never issued any public warning. Local government knew about the recall but kept quiet.
Four Chinese government agencies jointly released a circular yesterday urging a "high-voltage" crackdown and tougher punishments for food safety crimes.
When sentencing criminals, Chinese courts should weigh offenders' subjective culpability, criminal methods and the harm they do to various markets, the document says. The courts now consider casualties and the amount of money involved.
Repeat offenders, leaders of criminal groups and those who severely harm people or are involved in large-scale sales should be "strictly" punished.
"Those deserving death penalties should be resolutely sentenced to death," it said.
The circular also vowed harsher punishment for government officials who accept bribes and protect or ignore food safety criminals.
"Generally, officials who are involved in food safety crimes should not be given a reprieve or be exempt from criminal punishment," said the document.
The document was issued by the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of Justice.
Food safety has become a nationwide concern in China after a spate of food safety incidents, including contamination and the use of prohibited ingredients.
In 2008, melamine-tainted milk in baby formula caused at least six infant deaths and 300,000 to fall ill.
One of the most recent scandals involved a brand of edible cooking oil that was found to contain ingredients that can lead to cancer.
Jinhao Camellia Oil Co Ltd early this month admitted that nine batches, or 42 tons, of its camellia seed cooking oil made between December and March contained excessive amounts of benzo(a)pyrene, a cancer-causing substance - something it had vehemently denied two weeks earlier.
Jinhao said it knew about the problem in March, when local quality inspectors seized 22.4 tons in its warehouse.
Jinhao secretly recalled the oil from the market but never issued any public warning. Local government knew about the recall but kept quiet.
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