Food safety supervision intensified

BEIJING - China has intensified food safety supervision in the country's catering service sector, an official of China's food and drug safety watchdog said.

Food safety authorities will hold discussions with people in charge of restaurants known to have serious food safety risks, Bian Zhenjia, deputy head of the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), said at the launching ceremony of a national food safety promotion campaign on Monday.

The authorities will also inspect restaurants blacklisted for food safety problems more often and reveal relevant information to the public, Bian said.

Bian said the SFDA has issued about 30 regulations to improve food safety and sanitation levels of the catering sector and has selected 1,116 model restaurants for their food safety across the country.

Several food safety scandals rattled the nation in 2011, including restaurants serving food cooked with "gutter oil," which is recycled oil made from kitchen waste dredged from gutters behind restaurants.

In March, chiefs of McDonald's China were "invited" for a talk by the SFDA and were urged to apologize to consumers after a leading TV station exposed one branch of the fast-food chain selling expired products.

The SFDA also told McDonald's China to conduct a strict overhaul of food safety measures at its restaurants.