More than 70 percent of cooked food products sold in markets and stores fail to meet national hygiene requirements, threatening the health of residents in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province.

According to a recent inspection, only 27 percent of the city's cooked foods are safe to consume, although 61 percent of the city's steamed stuffed buns, steamed breads, dumplings and dim sum met the test.

The spot checks, conducted by the Guangzhou Consumers' Council, inspected cooked food from local supermarkets, stores and bazaars, Guangzhou Daily reported on Thursday.

The tests found the substandard food had high levels of bacteria and excessive additives as well as antiseptic and coloring ingredients that could be harmful to people's health, the paper said.

"This is bad news for many local Cantonese people who like cooked foods," said Guangzhou housewife Wang Cuilan.

"I will stop buying or reduce eating cooked food in the future," Wang told China Daily Thursday.

Wang used to buy cooked food from bazaars and supermarkets to save time, and many of her family members like cooked foods, she said.

Guangzhou has long been famous for its cold boiled chicken, roast goose and duck, braised pigeon, roast suckling pig, roast pork and other spiced meats.

And cooked foods are popular in many hotels and restaurants and on the dinner tables of many local residents.

Chen Wenjun, a local chef, said the results would certainly affect the business of his restaurant and similar ones where cooked foods are major attractions.

It was the first time such a large percentage of cooked foods failed to meet the country's hygiene requirements in Guangzhou.

Relevant government departments have promised to increase inspections to prevent foods that fail to meet the requirements from entering the market.

Those producing and selling substandard foods will be punished, the report said.

(China Daily October 9, 2009)