Beijing, Shanghai to crackdown on food safety

Authorities in Shanghai and Beijing plan to crackdown on companies that violate food-safety practices, The Wall Street Journal reported. Shanghai’s food-safety committee posted 11 harmful practices on its website last week, saying it would blacklist violators. A Xinhua News Agency report said Beijing would soon tighten similar regulations. The moves come weeks after a state-owned news report accused KFC owner Yum of misusing antibiotics in its chicken. The company was later found to be within China’s current guidelines. Surveys have shown that the Chinese public is increasingly worried about the safety of its food. The country has experienced several food scares during the past few years, including one tainted milk scandal that put more than 100,000 infants in the hospital. The use of re-used oil, known as gutter oil, has also proven difficult to curb.