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China Gets Tough on Toy, Food Suppliers
01-15 16:03 Caijing Magazine
A government watchdog is pushing toymakers to meet quality standards and requiring special licenses for firms that supply food during the Olympics.
By intern reporter Chen Qian
About one-fifth of China’s 3,000 export-oriented toymakers have been locked out of the market and 2008 Olympics food suppliers have been told to get special licenses as part the government’s ongoing clampdown on consumer product manufacturers.
Pu Changcheng, deputy director of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), said licenses were revoked for 600 toymakers and exporters that failed to meet quality control standards. The move was part of a government campaign launched after a series of recalls of Chinese-made products in 2007.
“China has set up systems under which toy manufacturers are required to install complete quality-control systems,” Pu said at a January 14 press conference. “We push them to double-check product security even for those toys designed by foreign companies that meet standards set by national and local governments.”
AQSIQ’s main target this year will be small and family-run companies that are chiefly responsible for making low-quality food products. Authorities will require they improve production facilities, limit the scope of their sales, and guarantee high levels of quality.
“We are trying to eradicate the product safety problem in a short time,” said Pu. “After the campaign, which started in August 2007, the rate of products closely related to the daily life of consumers, such as food, which met quality standards has increased 3 to 4 percent.”
In December, AQSIQ and the U.S. Deparment of Health and Human Services signed an agreement on food and animal feed safety. They also set up an information exchange system.
Meanwhile, the watchdog is addressing concerns about the food that will be served and sold during the Olympics next August in Beijing. All food manufacturers that supply the international event will have to obtain special licenses, and approved products must be marked by a “QS” (Quality Safety) label.
In a related move, the government has decided to ban free plastic shopping bags nationwide in shopping malls, markets and grocery stores starting June 1. Shoppers will have to buy plastic sacks or bring their own bags.
AQSIQ decided to raise threshold for plastic bag makers and support plastic alternatives as part of a government bid to curb waste.
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[ICP License: 090027] IDC License:[B2-20040250] Advertising Business License:[京海工商广字第0407号] 京公网安备110105005607号
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