Merged oversight key to food safety

Several Chinese cities are merging their various quality watchdogs to better ensure food safety, an issue that has seen several scandals in recent years.

Tianjin set up its Market and Quality Supervision Administration on Wednesday after merging three municipal government departments - the Industry and Commerce Administration, Quality and Technical Inspection and the Food and Drug Administration.

Tianjin's new combined market watchdog is the first provincial-level one of its kind in the country. Similar agencies have been established this year in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province; the Pudong New Area of Shanghai; and Shenzhen, Guangdong province.