New police unit mulled to handle food safety crimes

A new police division to deal with food and drug safety crimes might deter lawbreakers, but more resources need to be put into this area in the wake of mounting public frustration, analysts said Sunday.

Hua Jingfeng, a senior official with the Ministry of Public Security, said at a media briefing Friday that the new bureau, which has been planned for over a year, is still at a theoretical stage but "hopefully will have a result soon."

Hua did not reveal any details of the new bureau's agenda in the Friday press conference, jointly held by the ministry and the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA).

Under the current regulatory system, the CFDA is responsible for safety issues in the market while police handle cases which violate law.

Sun Zhongshi with the Chinese Monitoring Network for Rational Use of Drugs told the Global Times that the new bureau might be a deterrent.

"The CFDA's supervision proved to be insufficient because its limited manpower can't effectively handle the large number of drug and food factories," Sun said.

Gao Qinwei, professor with the Central University of Finance and Economics, said that a new agency is not the best solution as there will be duplications of administrative systems.

"To fight against counterfeit products like food and drugs, the CFDA needs more manpower and financial resources, and should also be supervised by the public," Gao noted.

There has been much public dissatisfaction with the CFDA along with complaints over light punishments for violators and compensation for victims.

A 2013 survey from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said 52.7 percent of respondents were dissatisfied with the food safety situation and 62 percent think the problem will not change or will worsen, China News Service reported.

At the same press conference, Mao Zhenbin, a senior CFDA inspection official, said there are difficulties in dealing with fake and poor quality products sold online. The battle to identify food and drug offences is challenging, as traditional workshop-style production is now cross-regional, making investigation difficult and costly.

Over 43,000 food and drug criminal cases were cracked, and over 60,000 suspects captured in 2013, Mao noted.