Across China: Hainan

Food safety stepped up

South China's Hainan province has taken measures to boost the safety of vegetables after a toxic pesticide was found in cowpeas grown in the region, officials said yesterday.

The province is closely monitoring all cowpea production bases and collection stations after Isocarbophos, a highly poisonous pesticide, was detected in sample tests carried out in markets in Central China's Hubei province, South China's Guangdong province and East China's Anhui province.