However, there are forces of change at work. The Central Government pledged $1.2 billion dollars to improve food and drug safety following an SFDA corruption scandal in 2007 (Ellis and Turner, 2008). The MoA announced in early 2008 that 30,000 extra
inspectors had been sent out across the country to help improve regulatory compliance at aquatic food production facilities (Barboza, 2008). The recent furor over melamine-tainted milk that led to the death of at least six infants and the serious illness of tens of thousands more has brought widespread public attention to the failures of the current food safety system and demands for the government to act decisively to remedy the situation. The MoH established new committees on food safety and stepped up inspections of products entering the food system (Anonymous,
2009). These developments may have a positive effect on the implementation of the Food Safety Law that was passed on February 2009 and comes into effect in June 2009. The new law calls for the formation of a state-level food safety commission to oversee the entire food monitoring system (Chinaview, 2009). It also defines
harsher punishments, including significant fines and compensatory awards to victims, for businesses producing or selling substandard food products.