China's market watchdog issued an alert in Beijing Wednesday requiring local quarantine departments to tighten up the quality inspection of food imported from Japan.

Chinese quarantine authorities have spotted 30 batches of food imports from Japan that failed to meet China's quality rules.

The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine has sent letters to the Embassy of Japan in China and relevant departments in Japan, urging them to be vigilant about quality supervision of food stuffs exported to China.

Citing sorbic acid, a food additive, as an instance, the administration said Shenzhen quarantine authorities had found that the sorbic acid content of seven kinds of Japan-made fish sausage exceeded the upper limit of 1.3g/kg set by China's sanitation authorities, and the sorbic acid content was 17.3 times higher than the upper limit.

In east China's Shandong province, some frozen octopus and fish imported from Japan were found to contain dangerous bacteria that may cause meningitis and blood poisoning.

In Guangdong in south China, potato powder imported from Japan contained excessive sulfur dioxide while the cadmium content of some frozen oysters was five times higher than the permissible upper limit.

This is the second time in less than a month that the administration has issued warnings, urging stricter quarantine control by its Japanese counterparts.

(Xinhua News Agency September 14, 2006)