Public to have more say in food safety law
10/3/2008 10:50
Top legislator Wu Bangguo promised on Saturday to give the public more say
in the formulation of the food safety law.
The food safety law, with 19
others, is on the top agenda of the Chinese parliament's legislation plan in
2008 that Wu listed in his work report to the current session of the 11th
National People's Congress.
Wu said the top legislature will publicly
post the draft food safety law to solicit public opinion because it is "closely
tied" to the interests of the people. "We must further expand the orderly
participation of ordinary citizens in legislative work," he said.
Chinese
industries had come under the spotlight at home and abroad in recent years with
concerns about substandard products or tainted foods.
Food-related
incidents, in particular, included vegetables with pesticide residue, fish
contaminated with suspected carcinogens and eggs tainted with industrial
dyes.
A draft law on food safety was submitted to the NPC Standing
Committee in December last year.
The government launched a four-month
nationwide food safety campaign last August.
As a result, more than 1,480
people were arrested, involving 1,187 criminal investigations
nationwide.
Other legislation on this year's agenda, Wu reported,
includes the law on state-owned assets, the social security law, the circular
economy law and the law on arbitration of disputes concerning contracted rural
land, and revision of the electoral law, the organic law of the NPC and the law
on state compensation.
Xinhua
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