Govt to monitor disposal of unsafe, outdated food

BEIJING - Law enforcement officials will witness the destruction of food that fails to meet safety standards or is past its sell-by date, under a plan intended to keep potentially harmful products off the market.

The proposal put forward by a top supervisory agency follows complaints by experts that some companies have repackaged unsafe food and put it back on the shelf.

At least two officials with district-level industrial and commercial bureaus will be on hand to supervise and record the destruction of these foods by incineration, burial as landfill or blending into organic fertilizer. The draft, posted online by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce on Aug 12, is open for public comments until Aug 29.