The Ministry of Commerce is setting up a tougher supervisory system for transport and sales of food to enhance food safety.

A credit system will be a primary part of the supervision network, according to Fang Aiqing, vice-director of the department of market operation regulation under the ministry.

The credit system will firstly set up records of food producers, retailers and wholesalers.

Then, a rating system will be mapped out and parties with unqualified rates will be barred from the market, Fang said, which he claimed will help kick out suppliers providing substandard food.

Small businesses, which do not meet requirements in sanitation and other technical standards, constitute an ongoing threat to food safety, but have proven difficult to tackle.

"But such a large system can only be initially established in some pilot cities and then expand to the whole country," Fang said.

Government departments have worked continuously to ensure food safety in China, but people are often concerned about poisoning incidents that hamper the development of China's food industry.

Industry experts agreed China's food industry can only develop in a healthy manner and be a strong competitor in the world market by exercising stricter quality control.

The ministry's moves will help form a comprehensive network for food safety, rather than simply conducting frequent inspections.

Besides the credit system, Fang said the Ministry will enact and amend more than 500 standards for food safety in the next five years.

A series of rules and regulations governing food distribution will soon come into effect, according to Fang.

These standards and rules involve the procedures of food processing, packaging, storage, transportation and sales.

The enhanced standards will not only give promise to people's health but also increase food exports, Fang said.

He said a complete network of food-safety inspections will take place starting next year.

Wholesale markets with annual sales of 200 million yuan (US$24.16 million) have been equipped with on-the-spot testing machines. And equipped markets will expand next year.

Fang said the ministry will also encourage food retailers to establish a greater presence in supermarkets and chain stores, where sanitary conditions are better than at farm markets.

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