Beijing set up a commission on Tuesday to assess food and drug safety in the capital city, as scandals continues to erode public confidence.
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The commission focuses on issues in four categories: food safety, drug safety, medical equipment and cosmetics.
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The commission, consisting of 51 experts, including academicians from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, will carry out risk assessments.
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Members of the commission will also give professional advice on the drafting of laws and regulations concerning food and drug safety, provide up-to-date domestic and foreign research to watchdogs, and help explain information to the public.
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A slew of high-profile food scandals have shaken the confidence of Chinese consumers. In 2008, melamine-tainted baby formula caused the deaths of at least six infants and made 300,000 ill.
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In April this year, a family-run workshop in east China's Jiangsu Province was found to be selling duck blood made with banned additives. Meanwhile, a couple in southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Regions were detained by police on suspicion of adding alum, a banned additive, to food they were selling.Â