http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-08/31/content_6639019.htm
China unveils recall systems for unsafe food, toys
BEIJING, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- China's quality watchdog on Friday
introduced the nation's landmark recall systems for unsafe food products and
toys amid efforts to improve product safety.
The two regulations, following the introduction of recall system for
defective automobiles in 2005, went into effect on Friday.
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and
Quarantine (AQSIQ) stated the recall systems were culmination of recent
regulations on the supervision of product quality and food safety promulgated
by the State Council, or cabinet.
The regulations state clearly that producers must take the prior and
major responsibilities for preventing and eliminating unsafe food and toys.
This would push them to enhance product safety awareness and step up efforts on
quality management, the AQSIQ stated.
The regulations require manufacturers to stop production and sales,
notify vendors and customers, and report to the quality control authorities
when product defects are found.
The regulations, however, did not specify how the producers should
notify the vendors and customers.
The vendors should also stop sales and notify their suppliers or
producers when the products are found with safety problems.
The producers are subject to fines of up to triple the product value
and vendors to fines from 1,000 to 50,000 yuan for failure to do as required,
Liu Zhaobin, chief of the AQSIQ's department of policy and regulation.
The manufacturers are also ordered to take all necessary timely
measures, including replacing or refunding to mitigate the effects brought
about by unsafe food and toys.
The producers should launch timely investigations into and evaluation
on the defects, and when necessary, the quality watchdogs at and above the
provincial levels should supervise.
Food producers are required to set up archives recording all
information on food production and sales and ensure that root causes of safety
problems can be found immediately.
Toy firms should stop production and sales and recall products when
defects are found in their toys even if they meet the nation's quality safety
laws, regulations, and compulsory standards.
The government took all the measures after the safety of China-made
products became a major concern at home and abroad with frequent product safety
scares.
The scares ranged from ducks and hens that were fed cancer-causing
Sudan Red dye to make their egg yolks red, to pet food made of melamine-tainted
wheat protein that killed scores of dogs and cats in the United States.
The AQSIQ acknowledged that the recall systems supplemented China's
legal system on product safety supervision and management.
The recall systems, coupled with market access systems, would help to
strengthen the government's supervision of product safety and tackle product
safety emergencies more effectively.
"The recall systems are common international practices and I'm sure
they will be supported and welcomed by the customers," Liu said.
China takes measures to enhance product quality, food safety
BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government has taken six
measures in one month to ensure food security and reliability of Chinese
products, said Li Changjiang, head of General Administration of Quality
Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, on Monday in Beijing.
The State Council had held a national work meeting on product quality
and food safety, at which Premier Wen Jiabao spoke, the first such meeting in
seven years, said Li. Full story
White paper: China builds food safety law regime, technological guarantee
system
BEIJING, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- China has established a complete law
regime and technological guarantee system for food safety, said a white paper
on China's food safety issued by the Information Office of the State Council on
Friday afternoon.
The white paper, first of its kind, said China now has a complete law
regime providing a sound foundation and good environment for guaranteeing food
safety, improving food quality and regulating food imports and exports. Full
story
