China's top leaders urged implementation of the "strictest" measures to ensure food safety for the public.

Premier Li Keqiang pledged "zero tolerance" for food safety violations and urged government agencies to continue their efforts to tackle major food safety issues and to make the interests of the people their top priority.

Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli, who presided over a meeting of the State Council's food safety commission on Thursday, said, "The government should resort to the strictest supervision and toughest punishment for violators, with a more unified and authoritative supervision system and regulations."

Food safety in China remains a big problem that requires long-term work, despite a new food quality law with tougher punishments for violators that took effect on Oct 1.

Problems such as the inappropriate processing of food and excessive pesticide residues in agricultural produce remain severe, according to Teng Jiacai, deputy head of the China Food and Drug Administration, the country's top food safety regulator.

In one of the most recent cases, 35 restaurants selling popular dishes were found to have used ground poppy seedpods as seasoning to attract consumers. The additive, banned since 2013, can cause addiction and serious harm to human health, said the administration.

Before that, overuse of strong, low-cost pesticides in Guangdong province in December revealed loopholes in supervision, especially in rural areas.

Farmers in Zengcheng district in Guangzhou illegally used mixtures of highly toxic pesticides two or three times a week without supervision, China Central Television reported.

"It is very difficult to effectively inspect everyone - from farmers to food manufacturers - to ensure they all follow the law," said Chen Qiaoling, founder of Yueyaduo, a food safety research center at Tsinghua University.

"There is a lot more needed to be done by the local governments to make sure that laws and regulations are in place. If at any point the supervision fails along the farm-to-table chain, customers will become the victims," he said.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

wangyanfei@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 02/11/2016 page3)