Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
Navigation
Primary Navigation
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular
Secondary Navigation
Australia
China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Malaysia
Philippines
Thailand
Vietnam
Search
Search:
Shanghai ups food hygiene; coliform found in cakes
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,Associated Press Writer AP - 55 minutes ago
SHANGHAI - Shanghai's health authorities plan to issue new rules requiring big stores to ensure shopping baskets and carts are clean, after finding that most are contaminated with potentially hazardous molds and bacteria, state-run media reported Tuesday.
The new rules coincide with fresh outbreaks of bird flu in parts of China. They also come amid reports that inspectors recently found coliform bacteria in cream cakes from several local bakery chains.
The Shanghai Health Supervision Agency plans to issue new cleanliness standards for shopping baskets and carts later this year, the state-run newspaper Shanghai Daily reported.
Spot checks in various parts of the city of more than 20 million people found that most shopping carts and baskets were contaminated with mold, and many carried bacteria that could cause food poisoning, the report said.
Shanghai shoppers often find baskets visibly grimy and shopping carts littered with rubbish from previous users. At big supermarkets, frozen poultry is often sold as is, and some shoppers just put the whole frozen chickens _ feet and all _ into their shopping carts unwrapped.
"We also want consumers to be more aware of the problem. For instance, it is important to wash hands after returning from the supermarket," the report quoted agency official Mo Weiwen as saying.
The new rules will include new standards and disinfection guidelines, Mo said.
"According to our company's policy, we check the baskets and carts everyday, as they are used a lot and easily get dirty," said a branch manager at the Zhenbei branch of the French-owned hypermarket chain, Carrefour SA.
The manager, who like many Chinese would give only her surname, Han, did not say if the retailer was routinely cleaning the carts and baskets.
Apart from occasional outbreaks of food poisoning and a slew of food safety scandals, public health officials have vowed to step up precautions to prevent the potential spread of bird flu.
At least three human deaths from the H5N1 strain of the virus have been reported this month, and one of the victims' children, a 2-year-old girl, was said to be in critical condition after falling ill on Jan. 7.
Meanwhile, the city's consumer rights commission said that cakes from several major bakery chains had failed tests because they contained high levels of coliform bacteria, the Shanghai Daily and other newspapers said.
Coliform bacteria do not cause food poisoning but they are a sign of fecal contamination that can.
___
Associated Press researcher Ji Chen contributed to this report.
Email Story
IM Story
Printable View
Blog This
Recommend this article
Average (0 votes)
Sign in to recommend this article »
Most Recommended Stories »
Related Articles: Asia Pacific
Pakistani militants kill 6 suspected US spiesAP - 26 minutes ago
Indonesia to halt search for ferry victimsAFP - 27 minutes ago
Six killed in blaze during SKorea raid on protesters: policeAFP - 30 minutes ago
NZ: Fiji may face more sanctions over no electionsAP - 51 minutes ago
Shanghai ups food hygiene; coliform found in cakesAP - 59 minutes ago
Most Popular – Asia Pacific
Viewed
'Overwhelming emotion' at star-studded inaugural concert
Zimbabwe unveils $100 trillion banknote
'Dogs don't wear condoms,' says Baywatch star Anderson
Faulty gene condemns millions in India to heart disease: study
Hamas announces one-week truce after Israel ceasefire
View Complete List »
Search:
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular