Chinese vice premier stresses food safety standards

China will create a database of food safety standards to help toughen their enforcement, Vice Premier Wang Yang said Wednesday.

To improve the standard system, the country must know the weak areas and make sure the system covers all basic food products, Wang said at a meeting on the topic.

The government must make vigorous standards to make people feel safe and assured in what they eat, he said.

Chinese people have been shocked by many food safety scandals in recent years, including injecting clenbuterol into pork, recycled cooking oil, selling pork from sick pigs and medicines made with toxic gelatin.

In July 2014, Shanghai Husi Food Co. Ltd, a supplier to leading fast food brands, were discovered to have used expired meat in their products.

The revised Food Safety Law, which came into effect on Oct. 1, 2015, brought harsher punishment for the adulteration of food. Endi