774 Arrests in China Over Safety

SHANGHAI —The Chinese government has said it has arrested 774 people over the last two months as part of a nationwide crackdown on the production and sale of tainted food, drugs and agricultural products.

Government regulators hailed the arrests as a major step forward for food and drug safety, and said the “criminal suspects” were detained during nationwide inspections of thousands of restaurants, food and drug production plants and wholesale food markets.

Determined to counter accusations that it has been producing and also exporting tainted goods, China has vowed to revamp its food and drug safety regulations and to close illegal manufacturers and exporters.

Read the full New York Times story here.