Beijing commission to evaluate food, drug safety

BEIJING - Beijing set up a commission on Tuesday to assess food and drug safety in the capital city, as scandals continue to erode public confidence.

The commission focuses on issues in four categories: food safety, drug safety, medical equipment and cosmetics.

The commission, consisting of 51 experts, including academicians from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, will carry out risk assessments.

Members of the commission will also give professional advice on the drafting of laws and regulations concerning food and drug safety, provide up-to-date domestic and foreign research to watchdogs, and help explain information to the public.

A slew of high-profile food scandals have shaken the confidence of Chinese consumers. In 2008, melamine-tainted baby formula caused the deaths of at least six infants and made 300,000 ill.

In April this year, a family-run workshop in East China's Jiangsu province was found to be selling duck blood made with banned additives. Meanwhile, a couple in southern Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region were detained by police on suspicion of adding alum, a banned additive, to food they were selling.