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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2009
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China Shutters Scores of Food Factories

Crackdown spreads to plants using industrial chemicals in edibles

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(Newser) – The Chinese government has closed 180 factories that were using dangerous and illegal ingredients, such as formaldehyde, in food products. The relatively large number of plants casts serious doubt on Beijing's insistence that the recent rash of tainted products originated with a small number of sources, the AP reports: A government official said the shutdowns were "not isolated cases."

The ongoing food-safety investigation began in December, ahead of widespread reports of melamine in pet food and a dangerous antifreeze additive in toothpaste. The crackdown is part of the government's campaign to allay fears about the safety of Chinese food exports, but three-quarters of factories are small, private plants like the ones snagged in the investigation.

A worker empties a bag of zongzi, a sticky rice dumpling, into a truck after they were confiscated from an illegal zongzi workshop in Beijing Wednesday June 13, 2007. Two tons of zongzi were confiscated and destroyed by local police. China's quality inspection administration said on Thursday that 10 percent...
A worker empties a bag of zongzi, a sticky rice dumpling, into a truck after they were confiscated from an illegal zongzi workshop in Beijing Wednesday June 13, 2007. Two tons of zongzi were confiscated...   (Associated Press)
Lab technicians with the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce (BAIC) center for food safety monitoring conduct tests on food products in Beijing Tuesday, June 12, 2007. China has some problems with food safety but they are not major and should not be overblown, a senior official said Tuesday. China's...
Lab technicians with the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce (BAIC) center for food safety monitoring conduct tests on food products in Beijing Tuesday, June 12, 2007. China has some problems...   (Associated Press)
Chinese officers monitor a food safety hot line at the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce (BAIC) office in Beijing Tuesday, June 12, 2007. China has some problems with food safety but they are not major and should not be overblown, a Chinese official said Tuesday. China's international image has...
Chinese officers monitor a food safety hot line at the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce (BAIC) office in Beijing Tuesday, June 12, 2007. China has some problems with food safety but they...   (Associated Press)
An officer from the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce (BAIC) office speaks to journalists near fake or non-standard products on display at a BAIC food safety monitoring center in Beijing in this June 12, 2007 file photo. China has closed 180 food factories after inspectors found industrial chemicals being...
An officer from the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce (BAIC) office speaks to journalists near fake or non-standard products on display at a BAIC food safety monitoring center in Beijing...   (Associated Press)
Boxes of Tianqi Toothpaste are seen at a supermarket in Chengdu, in China's Sichuan province Tuesday, June 12 2007. China's Communist Party called Saturday, June 16, 2007, for timely tests and improved production standards to ensure the safety of toothpaste, indicating the country is pushing forward its campaign to combat...
Boxes of Tianqi Toothpaste are seen at a supermarket in Chengdu, in China's Sichuan province Tuesday, June 12 2007. China's Communist Party called Saturday, June 16, 2007, for timely tests and improved...   (Associated Press)
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