S. Korea, China to step up cooperation on food safety

BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and China agreed Sunday that they will
step up cooperation to enhance food safety in a bid to prevent the repeat of a
recent food scare sparked by harmful Chinese food products.
The promise came amid growing concerns over Chinese food imports after some of
its dairy products were found to have been contaminated with Melamine, a toxic
chemical that can cause kidney problems when digested in large quantities.
At least four Chinese infants have died so far from consuming milk containing
melamine, and tens of thousands of others have developed kidney stones or other
illnesses. South Korean authorities have not reported any local victims but many
Chinese-made food products have been removed from shelves.
"With the share of Chinese foods increasing at a fast pace in South Korea, both
nations need to increase cooperation (against contaminated products)," Health
Minister Jeon Jae-hee told Yonhap News Agency in an interview.
Jeon said that information sharing will be expanded between health-related
agencies of the two nations and an official agreement will soon be signed for the
purpose.
She is currently in Beijing to attend a meeting of heath ministers from South
Korea, China and Japan. The gathering is the second of its kind following its
launching in Seoul last year.
During the meeting, meanwhile, health ministers of the Asian countries adopted a
joint action plan mostly aimed at strengthening joint efforts including personal
and data sharing against the outbreak of pandemic influenza in the region.
The three also reached an agreement to bring the food safety issue to the
official agenda item in the next three-way consultation meeting to be held in
Tokyo of 2009, according to Jeon.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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