Eighty-two people have fallen ill in four separate food poisoning cases in 24 hours, Beijing Municipal Health Bureau said on Friday.

A bureau spokesman said the cases occurred from 9:00 AM on Thursday to 9:00 AM on Friday, affecting 45 staff in the NCR (Beijing) Financial Equipment System Co., Ltd, 12 migrant workers in the eastern Shunyi District, 18 workers in the Laocaichen Food Company in the northeastern Pinggu District, and seven tourists from an overseas tour group.

He said the sufferers showed symptoms of vomiting, stomachache and diarrhea. Some had recovered after treatment, and others were sent to hospital. By 1:00 PM Friday, three NCR workers were still in hospital.

He said 12 migrant workers were poisoned by undercooked beans, but the causes of the three other incidents were still being ascertained.

He said the bureau had sent staff to collect food samples and test samples from the patients.

Calls to the NCR Company and Laocaichen were unanswered.

The National People's Congress (NPC) has said it would amend the Food Hygiene Law, promulgated in 1995, this year to strengthen supervision of the production and distribution of food, and prevent substandard food from entering the market.

Earlier this month, a corrupt Chinese primary school headmistress in Guangzhou was jailed for a year after being found responsible for a food poisoning incident that caused 185 students to fall ill.

(Xinhua News Agency July 21, 2007)