China has arrested nearly 800 people over the past two months in a “nationwide crackdown on the production and sale of tainted food, drugs and agricultural products,” writes the New York Times. The country announced the number officially today on their website, but did not provide details on the violations involved. The announcement is part of a larger campaign to not only rehabilitate China’s image around the world, but to address concerns that its domestic products are even less likely to be safe.

For instance, China reported that only 82% of the food tested in medium and large cities met safety standards, and that although “it believes 99 percent of its food exports meet safety standards, only about 80 percent of food sold domestically has passed inspections.”

In addition to the arrests, China announced it has banned 13 toxic pesticides from being produced in the country, and that since July, 1,000 tons of fake products have been intercepted at Chinese ports and recalled or destroyed.

“774 Arrests in China Over Safety” [New York Times]
(Photo: Getty)

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