State Council sets up food safety taskforce

Beijing has set up a food safety taskforce in a bid to restore international faith in the "made in China" label, the South China Morning Post reported. The body, called the Quality and Food Safety Steering Group, was unveiled following a State Council meeting chaired by Premier Wen Jiabao on Wednesday. It comes as China attempts to restore faith in its products following a string of food safety scandals and subsequent heightened scrutiny of Chinese exports, particularly in the US. The State Council also gave initial approval to a draft food and product safety law aimed at tightening supervision of production and eradicating problems in food processing. A six-point pledge to bring Chinese food standards up to international levels was issued, and the State Council said it would push for more international cooperation on safety issues and work to keep the public better informed about them.