Food and drug system reform to finish this year

China will complete its reform of local food and drug administration systems by the end of this year to better ensure food and drug safety, according to a Thursday report from the People's Daily.

A unified supervision and management system will be formed to encompass state- and local-level food and drug administration systems across the country by the end of this year, Zhang Yong, head of the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA), said in an interview with the People's Daily.

He said 10 provincial regions in China have already completed these reforms.

State-level food and drug administration system reform was completed by the end of May, according to the report.

The reform is meant to substantially enhance the capabilities of supervision and management of food and drug safety, said Zhang.

China has entered a stage in which it is highly vulnerable to food and drug safety risks stemming from a lack of market discipline and weak awareness and capabilities in quality safety management, he said.

He said people widely resent food and drug safety issues, though China's food and drug authorities have launched a series of campaigns to overhaul these industries and eliminate safety risks.

To properly and effectively handle food and drug safety issues, the CFDA will spare no efforts in revising relevant laws and rules with a focus on amending the country's food safety and drug management laws, said Zhang.

He also promised to intensify the approval and evaluation systems for food and drugs entering the market and to strengthen the elimination of substandard food and drug enterprises.

Companies, consumers and the media should reinforce the government's efforts to supervise and administer the food and drug industries, Zhang said in the report.