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China's Cabinet lays groundwork for dairy industry recovery

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-10-06 20:36

BEIJING - Calling China's dairy production and circulation "chaotic" and admitting government supervision "gravely absent", the State Council is planning an overhaul and recovery of the nation's dairy industry.

Shoppers walk past milk packages with labels claiming the products are free of melamine, in a supermarket in Haikou, capital of Hainan province October 2,2008. [China Daily]

The State Council, China's Cabinet, held an executive meeting Monday on the nation's milk powder industry and approved draft regulations on quality control for dairy products.

Related readings:  New dairy products not tainted  Inspectors posted to dairy factories for 24-hour supervision  Consumer: Round-the-clock supervision on dairy factories  All dairy products samples free from melamine in HK's latest tests

State Councilors on Monday heard that the authorities had conducted across-the-board checks on liquid milk and dairy products and investigated food safety. All efforts had begun to pay off.

They noted that the Sanlu baby formula scandal had been a major public health incident and tarnished the reputation of China's dairy sector and the food industry at large.

The direct cause of the incident was illegal production, greed and ignoring of people's lives, the State Council said in a statement. "It is also exposed that China's dairy production and circulation order has been chaotic and supervision has been be gravely absent."

Premier Wen Jiabao presided over the meeting. This was the second conference on the issue since the tainted baby formula scandal that broke in earlier September. The previous meeting was held on September 17.

The State Council on Monday stressed that efforts should be made to scrutinize every link, from farm to dinner table, of food processing, so as to "restore the reputation of the nation's food industry, enhance consumer confidence and ensure public health."

They underscored the principles of the scrutiny: to put the people first, ensure safety, prescribe responsibilities clearly, intensify supervision, monitor the whole process, realize information disclosure, improve institutional systems and criteria and ensure accountability.

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