China's quality watchdog on Friday introduced the nation's landmark recall systems for unsafe food products and toys amid efforts to improve product safety.

The two regulations, following the introduction of recall system for defective automobiles in 2005, went into effect on Friday.

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine (AQSIQ) stated the recall systems were culmination of recent regulations on the supervision of product quality and food safety promulgated by the State Council, or cabinet.

The regulations require manufacturers are required to stop production and sales, notify vendors and customers, and report to the quality control authorities when product defects are found.

The regulations, however, did not specify how the producers should notify the vendors and customers.

The manufacturers are also ordered to take all necessary timely measures, including replacing or refunding to mitigate the effects brought about by the unsafe food and toys.

The government took all the measures after the safety of China-made products became a major concern at home and abroad with frequent product safety scares.

The scares ranged from ducks and hens that were fed cancer-causing Sudan Red dye to make their egg yolks red, to pet food made of melamine-tainted wheat protein that killed scores of dogs and cats in the United States.

The AQSIQ acknowledged that the recall systems supplemented China's legal system on product safety supervision and management.

The recall systems, coupled with market access systems, would help to strengthen the government's supervision of product safety and tackle product safety emergencies more effectively.

The regulations state clearly that producers must take the prior and major responsibilities for preventing and eliminating unsafe food and toys. This would push them to enhance product safety awareness and step up efforts on quality management, the AQSIQ stated.