BEIJING has adopted a stringent food-security policy during preparations for the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting by regulating raw food-material providers and suspending sales of health-care products at some of the reception hotels.

    Halal food is an important part in the security supervision.

    Fan Zhihong, a professor at China Agricultural University who has followed food security issues for a long time, said the process of preparing Halal food has a strict standard that even includes the religion of the butcher.

    To ensure the quality of food prepared for the summit, about 20 companies, including Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant, were named the providers of raw ingredients. All 34 hotels serving the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting have to buy food from those companies.

    “If the providers cannot meet the demand, hotels can purchase raw materials from their own sources, but they have to report to us the details,” said Zhang Fengping, deputy director of the Beijing Food and Drug Administration.

    “During the APEC meeting, all sales of health-care products in hotels with important guests have to be suspended,” Zhang added.

    At the same time, the administration must supervise menus, recipes and ingredients.

    Fan Bao, deputy director at the Beijing Ethnic Affairs Commission, said there are problems in the ingredients, wine, and menu translations.

    The Beijing Municipal Commission of Commerce is also working on the quality control of 11 types of food, including beef, mutton, grain and oil.

    (SD-Agencies)