Kid's Snacks Fail to Meet Standards, More Fake Blood Found in China

Almost half of the children's snacks sampled had excessive additives and preservatives, and were taken from 70 stores.

Chinese inspectors found excessive amounts of additives and preservatives in dozens of children's snacks and seized hundreds of bottles of fake human blood protein from hospitals, officials said Tuesday.

China's dismal health and safety record both within and outside its borders has increasingly come under the spotlight as its goods make their way to global markets. Major buyers like the United States, Japan, and the European Union have pushed Beijing to improve inspections.

Inspectors in southwest China's Guangxi region found excessive additives and preservatives in nearly 40 percent of 100 children's snacks sampled during the second quarter of 2007, according to a report on China's central government Web site.

Read the full Associated Press story here.