China's State Council, or Cabinet, will set up a food safety commission to strengthen the country's food monitoring system, whose low efficiency has long been blamed for repeated food scandals.

The decision was written in a draft law on food safety, which was tabled to the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, China's top legislature, on Wednesday for a fourth reading.

China's current food safety system involves at least five departments, including health, agriculture, quality supervision, industry and commerce administration, and food and drug supervision.

(Xinhua News Agency February 25, 2009)