Authorities respond to public's concerns

Departments and ministries under the State Council, China's cabinet, have responded to a wide range of public concerns during the past week, in areas that include food safety inspection, violence against doctors, the lack of children's healthcare facilities and information leakage.

The price of pork, which recently surged to record highs in several parts of China, prompted some slaughterhouses and enterprises to sell low quality and even contaminated pork products to consumers, some of whom were later found to have food-borne illnesses.

In response, the China Food and Drug Administration, the nation's top food safety regulator, pledged to strengthen the supervision and inspection of pork products' quality and safety, and to enhance efforts to crack down on illegal business activities. The administration urged enterprises to operate in accordance with the law.