Hebei governor says he will take hard line to ensure food safety
Acting Hebei governor Hu Chunhua has vowed to take action to ensure complete food safety, as the number of people arrested over the tainted-milk scandal in the past two weeks rose to 27.
'The lesson [we have learned] from Sanlu is grim: a 50-year-old enterprise that spent more than 30 years cultivating a brand name was totally destroyed within one day,' Mr Hu was quoted by Xinhua as saying.
Speaking at a recent conference in the provincial capital Shijiazhuang , Mr Hu criticised officials for being apathetic, Xinhua said.
'[Some officials] got used to being negligent [of their duties] before the trouble and were apathetic in the aftermath,' he said, highlighting that 15,920 babies in Hebei suffered from kidney problems as a result of Sanlu tainted-milk powder, with 246 still in hospital.
Shijiazhuang-based Sanlu was the first big dairy firm exposed as having baby formula containing melamine, an industrial compound which can cause urinary tract problems such as kidney stones. Melamine was later found in milk products from other mainland dairy manufacturers such as Inner Mongolia -based Yili and Mengniu.
Mr Hu said the provincial government would spend one month rectifying problems in the food and drug sectors, including the vegetable, poultry, livestock, dairy and catering industries, to ensure food was 100 per cent safe.
He ordered municipal and county heads to be personally in charge of the assessments, which started on Tuesday, and told officials from different departments to work with each other in the massive operation.
'We will punish negligent leaders and officials linked to any accidents in the future caused by their omissions,' Mr Hu said. 'No one will be exempt from punishment.'
The scandal has cost six officials their jobs, including Shijiazhuang party chief Wu Xianguo , his deputy Ji Chuntang and four other related officials from food and work safety departments.
Hebei public security chief Cao Aiping said provincial police had arrested 14 more people in connection with the tainted-milk scandal, putting the total arrests in the province at 27, according to Xinhua.
The report said police had questioned 91 people and arrested 27 since September 29.
The suspects were accused of producing, selling or adding melamine to fresh milk to doctor milk protein tests.
Mr Cao said police confiscated more than 380kg of melamine in a 10-day crackdown on dairy products in late September.
