Official: Unsafe products could cause "instability"

Food and drug safety problems could cause "social instability", a Chinese food safety official said. "The occurrence of food safety incidents or cases not only affects the healthy development of the whole industry, but also may impact upon economic and social stability," said Sun Xianze, director of food safety coordination at the State Food and Drug Administration, according to Reuters. Sun also said that poor-quality products had "impeded" international trade and "damaged" the country's image. On Saturday, the administration ordered a leukemia and rheumatoid arthritis drug taken off shelves for safety reasons. The day before, a Beijing court sentenced an administration department director, Cao Wenzhuang, to death for corruption and negligence. The administration's former head, Zheng Xiaoyu , was sentenced to death in May for taking bribes.