About 70 percent of Shanghai residents said improper food processing could be the biggest threat to food safety.

And they want the government to tighten monitoring and punishment on illegal food production and sales, according to a survey conducted by www.smmail.cn, a government-run website.

The website interviewed more than 3,800 residents after the National People's Congress issued a draft on Food Safety Laws.

About 90 percent of residents told the survey their top concern was the abuse of food additives such as coloring and preservatives.

They were also concerned with antibiotic and pesticide residues, the hygiene of unpacked food, and the use of genetically modified materials without that information being carried on food labels.

Of all outlets, supermarkets were considered the safest. Some 88 percent of residents expressed confidence in supermarket food, with 6 percent choosing convenience stores, 4 percent wet markets and 2 percent the wholesale market.

About 70 percent of residents said processing was the most questionable sector, while 13 percent worried about planting and cultivation, 11 percent about the wholesaling and retailing sector and 6 percent about consuming and dining out.

Illegal food processing and the government's lenient punishment of irregular practices were seen as the top two causes of repeated food safety problems, according to the survey.

Though the draft said that enterprises and individuals had the right to report illegal behavior in the food business and get compensation 10 times the money paid for tainted food, only 35 percent of residents said they would complain to the government.

To improve food safety, 91 percent of residents wanted the government to tighten punishment for illegal practices and 83 percent said they wanted the authorities to improve monitoring and inspection of the food industry.

(Shanghai Daily May 4, 2008)