Many of Shanghai's food producers will open their doors to the public to further ensure hygiene standards.

About 10,000 residents will be invited to visit food plants annually over the next three years, the Shanghai Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision said yesterday.

"By 2010 before the expo is held, 100 food plants will have joined the program, and the number of people who visit the plants will amount to 30,000," said Sun Yeyao, a bureau official.

About 50 resident representatives and the heads of 26 food producers attended an opening ceremony yesterday at the Bright Dairy & Food Co plant in Pudong New Area.

The event, organized by the bureau and co-sponsored by Bright Dairy, aims to further sharpen Shanghai's food safety and enhance producing procedures.

According to the bureau, up to 91.2 percent of food samples that were tested in Shanghai last year were up to safety standards, 5.9 percentage points higher than the previous year.

The bureau conducted a recent survey that found about 70 percent of residents had suffered food-quality problems in the past year.

More than half of the respondents said some progress could be seen in food quality.

People who thought no progress had been made by food plants said the problems center on producing procedures.

Shanghai is going all out to ensure food safety, including funding research centers and broadcasting television programs.

A new blueprint, backed by the city government with a start-up budget of 20 million yuan (US$2.64 million), has been put into action.

It aims to produce faster and better food-testing methods and to sponsor studies on safety issues, such as the consequences of consuming out-of-date produce.

(Source: www.shanghai.gov.cn )