Tough penalties will be used to end entrenched abuses in the catering industry, such as the use of poppy capsules, a major source of many opiates, and industrial coloring agents, according to the top food administrator.

The State Food and Drug Administration will urge in its 2012 food regulation plan a crackdown on the illegal use of additives.

Hotpot broth, beverages and seasonings will be key targets, as they are "danger zones" for food safety incidents triggered by additives.

Yi Junli, a food inspector in Yichang, Hubei province, who reports directly to the city's market regulator, said she will make daily visits to the 35 restaurants in her area this year, checking food labels and the use of additives.

Although some restaurant chains vouched for their food quality and said they have food safety specialists at every outlet, some hotpot stores still use poppy capsules, which can even lead to addiction, insiders said.

A woman being treated at a hospital in Fuyang, Anhui province, on Sunday. Twenty-three people developed symptoms of nitrite poisoning after eating at a fast food restaurant on Saturday. The restaurant was closed after the incident. [Jing Wen / for China Daily]