China Releases Five Year Food Safety Plan

Days after news broke of contaminated food products at Wal-Marts in two major Chinese cities and high levels of mercury found in baby formula, the Chinese government is releasing a food safety improvement plan to address food safety issues.

Plans call for a five-year initiative to upgrade food safety regulations in the country, as there is an absence of several major safety regulations according to Xinhua, China's official news agency.

The Ministry of Health 's plan calls for addressing outdated standards and eliminating contradictory regulations according to the Ministry of Health's website.

The Ministry of Science and Technology will collaborate with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture in addition to 11 other government departments to overhaul the standards by 2015. Dairy products, infant food, meat, alcohol, vegetable oil, seasoning, health products, and food additives are the first products to be prioritized.

Testing standards for various contaminants, food additives, microorganisms, pesticides, and animal drug residue in food will also be addressed by 2015, according to the Ministry of Health.