Food, drug safety stressed in quake-hit areas

China's drug watchdog ordered to establish a daily report system on Tuesday to ensure food and drug safety in earthquake-hit areas of Sichuan, Chongqing, Gansu, Shaanxi and Yunnan.

The State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) said local governments should collect information on production, supply, safety and other relative information of food and safety during the disaster relief, and report to the SFDA every day.

People who are familiar with food and drug safety should be specially assigned to be 24-hour on duty in order to report emergency timely.

Local food and drug departments should strengthen inspection over drugs and medical facilities for disaster relief and crack down on production and sale of fake medicine and medical facilities.

Other provinces should help with supply of drugs and facilities that are in urgent need by disaster-hit areas, according to the SFDA.

The SFDA, together with the Ministry of Health and the Traditional Chinese Medicine Administration, issued a circular on Tuesday, ordering local government departments to prevent infectious diseases, food poisoning cases and food-related diseases from breaking out after the disaster.

The circular also required local governments to provide psychological consultations for victims and rescuers to prevent them from psychological obstruction.