Ye Caihong with Aixin Foodstuff of Xiamen City, Fujian, said her company had tightened product quality control and inspection this year.

Liu Dawei, deputy manager with the external trade department of Linjin Food Industry of Anhui Province, said the credibility crisis had forced Chinese food businesses to pay more attention to product quality control.

Liu said his company, a jelly maker, had opened a technical research and development center this year and improved quality monitoring and testing.

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The government has taken steps to improve food safety.

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, adopted a Food Safety Law in late February. The law stipulates that "only those items proved to be safe and necessary in food production are allowed to be listed as food additives."

The law, which will take effect on June 1, also says food producers may only use approved additives. Companies that break the law face possible temporary or permanent closure.

Also, the Ministry of Health issued a circular in March to its local offices, urging them to step up prevention of food contamination and monitoring of food-borne illnesses. The circular covered the 16 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities where food problems have been most prevalent.

Health Minister Chen Zhu said the ministry would create a national database covering food contamination and food-borne illnesses within two years. He also ordered hospitals and other health organizations to report food poisoning and other food-related illnesses promptly.

Huo Jianguo, chairman of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-Product, said his organization had introduced new management methods to improve food safety.

These methods include encouraging and supporting processing businesses to build fixed ties with raw material suppliers and encouraging collective procurement.

Some Chinese companies have embarked on construction of a food safety monitoring chain.

Fan Xiaoshan, manager with the tomato and fruit marketing department of COFCO Xinjiang Tunhe, said it was imperative to exercise a full process of monitoring system from farmland to table to ensure food safety.

Although dairy exporters are still struggling, some foreign markets have reopened.

Xu noted that Turkey had lifted its ban on Chinese milk powder and the milk powder traded by his company had been allowed to reenter the market there.

(Xinhua News Agency May 8, 2009)