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PRC to halve number of unregulated food firms

China said yesterday it would cut the number of small, loosely regulated food producers by half as it struggles to salvage its reputation as a safe exporter.

The country's food and drug agency also announced stricter rules for approving new drugs, a day after its former head was executed for accepting bribes to approve untested medicine.

Starting in September, all food exported from China will have an inspection and quarantine symbol to guarantee safety, the administration said.

The country's top food and drug watchdog said that the 2008 Olympics would give China an opportunity to prove to the world that it is capable setting a new standard for food safety and enforcing it.

In a mandate issued on Tuesday, China's food safety watchdog said that all small-scale producers would be required to renovate their operations to meet hygiene standards or face being shut down.

Many will not survive and their numbers are expected to be halved by 2009, with all properly certified by 2012, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said on its Web site.

The regulations also target the use of ingredients that have been recycled, unapproved additives and banned substances.

Last month Chinese authorities announced that they had closed 180 food factories since December after inspectors found formaldehyde, illegal dyes and industrial wax being used to make candy, pickles, crackers and seafood.

Another regulating agency said it shut 152,000 unlicensed food producers and retailers last year for making and selling fake and low-quality products.

According to the notice posted yesterday, the quality administration said about half -- or 223,297 -- factories it inspected nationwide were not completely certified. Another 164,149 had no certificate at all, it said.
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