Baotou, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, is to develop a guarantee system to ensure food safety, according to a Sept 18 Baotou Evening News report.

Zhao Fengyun, director of Baotou Food and Drug Administration, said at the press conference held on Sept 14 that much emphasis has been put on food supervision to ensure food safety in the city.

A blacklist system was introduced earlier this year for businesses that fail food safety tests, with the names of offenders being made public.

Other measures include the construction of an information platform. At present, a total of 245 companies have been added to the platform, including large and medium-sized catering firms, supermarkets, and farmers’ markets. The platform provides real-time data monitoring of the 245 companies to help facilitate food safety supervision.

According to a report released by the Baotou Food and Drug Administration, 98.5 percent of food passed spot checks carried out during the first half of 2016. The food samples were checked in 398 batches, covering 85 food categories.