A northwest Chinese official says the “green” food industry had entered a new stage of development in the country, the official Xinhua news agency reports. Ma Aiguo, director of the China Green Food Development Center, said Thursday organic food output has been increasing nearly 30 percent annually while exports have grown by 50 percent in recent years. At a round-table meeting on the fruit industry held in Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi province, Ma noted the government had established a national network to enforce laws monitoring production, processing, quality, storage and transportation of produce carrying a “green” label. The concept of organic food was introduced to China 14 years ago. It is defined as non-polluting, safe, high-quality and nutritious. Xinhua did not mention whether pesticides are used. More than 2,000 companies are involved in “green food” production across China. Domestic sales reached $8.8 billion and exports topped $1 billion in 2003, Xinhua said. © Copyright 2004 by United Press International

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