Beijing Food and Drug Administration is going to tighten controls over food safety at temple fairs during the Spring Festival holiday this year, according to Beijing Times on Sunday.
According to the administration, food sellers have to process their food, including cold dishes, cake and aquatic products in the locales marked on their license. If food stands are going to sell mutton skewers, sellers have to clearly indicate the ingredients in detail and place the ingredient lists in a conspicuous place. Obscure descriptions, like "Meat skewers" or "skewers" cannot be used in menus or signboards.
All of the food stands in the fairs have to display their license and food sellers and cooks are also required to bear a health certificate.
The food and drug administration, this year, is to station staff at each of the fairs around the city to test food and to handle complaints and reports from consumers on site. The complaint hotline number will also be posted in the fairs.
Li Jiang, of the department of markets administration emphasized that park administrations should form an ad-hoc unit to sift through food stands and monitor food they sell.
Visiting temple fairs during the Spring Festival is a traditional part of Chinese culture. In ancient times, the fairs were held for the worship of Chinese gods and immortals in religiously significant places but nowadays they are predominantly just for fun and are held inside parks. There will be 10 fairs open to the public this year, where people can take part in games, like ring-toss, a game of tossing a ring to win a desired gift, watch folk art performances and eat snacks. One of the most popular snacks is mutton skewers.
