China Threatens Life in Jail in Food Safety Crackdown

Manufacturers who produce sub-standard food could be jailed for life under a new draft law unveiled by Chinese authorities.

The government has pledged to make product safety a priority, in response to a string of scares about items ranging from fake baby milk formula and drugs to toys with dangerous paint and pesticide-tainted dumplings.

While wrangling persists over responsibility for several cases involving sub-standard exports, officials know that the global credit crunch and appreciating yuan make restoring faith in the country's output particularly important.

The law also covers an ambitious new scheme to identify and track products ranging from food to cosmetics, to boost domestic consumer confidence.

The draft legislation, published on a government website, details a variety of penalties. Producers whose goods are not up to scratch could be fined, have their incomes confiscated or their production certificates revoked. In serious cases, they could face between three years and life imprisonment.

The Ministry of Commerce and State Administration for Industry and Commerce (AQSIQ) initially said that by the end of June, all products in nine categories - including food, cosmetics and home appliances - must carry a code allowing consumers to trace their place and time of origin. It has now extended the deadline until the end of the year.

But food companies - including Nestle, Mars and Coca-Cola - have complained that the system will increase production costs while doing little to improve standards. They argue that it will not catch the small firms who are most likely to be responsible for faulty products.

The China National Food Association also told the AQSIQ that the measure would raise production costs - at a time when food prices are already rocketing in China, helping to drive inflation.

Other countries are taking their own measures to improve the standards of imported Chinese goods. The US Food and Drug Administration announced last week that it would open an office in China.

Mike Leavitt, the US health secretary, told the Associated Press news agency: "In the past, the United States and many other countries have employed a strategy of standing at the border trying to catch things that aren't safe.

"We're changing our strategy from one of trying to catch unsafe products to building safety into the products ... Our purpose is not just inspection, it's building capacity and maintaining relationships between regulators."

The Chinese government has yet to give final approval, but the agency expects to begin work in May with the office opening formally towards the end of the year.