In 2012, China published 88 new standards on food safety and expanded the monitoring network on chemical contaminants and pathogenic microorganisms in food from 25 per cent of county-level administrative regions to 47 per cent, according to Vice Minister of Health Chen Xiaohong.

Speaking at a forum on health supervision, Mr Chen pledged that 60 per cent of counties would be covered by the end of 2013.

In July, China updated its standard on water safety, which now consists of 106 indicators instead of the previous 35.

Eighty-three per cent of water from plants in cities qualified under the new standard, according to Mr Chen.

The vice minister briefed that some 28,600 water safety inspection stations have been set up so far, covering all cities at or above prefecture level and 30 per cent of all counties.

Mr Chen also reviewed measures taken to meet the requirements of the newly revised Law on Occupational Illness Prevention and Control.

In 2012, 486 additional medical institutions were licensed to offer occupational health inspection services, according to Mr Chen, who added that adequate occupational health evaluation centers would be available in more than 90 percent of China's counties by next year.