China to crack down on unsafe products with new recall program

China has announced plans to introduce a safety recall system in an attempt to weed out unsafe products being manufactured within the country.

Wu Jianping, director general of the administration's food production and supervision department, said the system will focus on "potentially dangerous and unapproved food products," according to the state-run China Daily newspaper.

China's food and drug safety record has come under scrutiny in recent months as tests on the country's exports have detected the presence of potentially harmful ingredients

Tests have indicatedthat wheat flour, used in North American pet food, was tainted with melamine — a chemical used to make plastics and fertilizer. Toothpaste, exported from China to the Dominican Republic, Panama and Australia, was found to contain diethylene glycol, a chemical used in antifreeze and brake fluid.

Last week, Canada's food watchdog intercepted a shipment of corn gluten imported from China that tested positive for melamine. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is continuing to check shipments of wheat, rice, soy and corn gluten and protein concentrates coming into the country from China.

Former regulator to be executed

Meanwhile on Tuesday, China's former chief food and drug regulator was sentenced to death for accepting bribes — valued at $832,000 US, accordingto the Xinhua News agency, citing a court report issued by Beijing's No. 1 Intermediate People's Court.

Zheng Xiaoyu was found guilty of allowing eight companies to sidestep the drug approval process, according to the court report. Zheng's Food and Drug Administration approved six types of fake medicine, including one antibiotic that killed at least 10 people last year.

It is not yet known if the former chief will appeal the court's decision.