Food poisoning killed 137 Chinese in 2011

BEIJING, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Food poisoning killed 137 Chinese and sickened more than 8,300 last year, the Chinese health ministry said.

The ministry said the number of sickened people last year rose 13 percent from 2010, but the 2011 death toll was down 26 percent from the previous year, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

A total of 189 food poisoning outbreaks were recorded last year, down 14 percent from 2010, the ministry said.

Food safety has become a major concern in China as the country has been rocked by a number of safety violation scandals even as the government authorities have come down hard on violators.