China's reputation as a safe exporter of food has been damaged in recent months, which have witnessed a series of contamination and health scares related to its products, including the discovery of the banned chemical, Melamine, in food and feed.

In a mandate issued on Tuesday on its website, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said that smaller processors would be required to upgrade food safety procedures or face closure.

The regulator said that the 2008 Olympic will give China the opportunity to show the world that it is capable of enforcing food safety, and by 2009, it expected half of smaller processors no longer to exist.

The Administration said about half, or 223,297 plants it had inspected nationwide were not completely certified, while a further 164,149 had no certificate at all.

Another regulating agency said it shut 152,000 unlicensed food producers and retailers last year for making and selling fake and low-quality products.

Plans are in place that aim to have all food processors certified by 2012, while targets have been set to reduce the incidence of ingredients that are unapproved, banned or have been recycled.

Efforts to improve food safety began in earnest last month when China announced plans to introduce its first product recall framework, which will require processors to trace and collect products that pose health risks. Also in June, 180 plants were closed following a crackdown on operations following the start of a food hygiene inspections drive started earlier this year.

This week, the execution of the former head of the food and drug agency for corruption sent a worldwide message that China is taking food safety seriously.

Starting September, all food exports from China will have an inspection and quarantine symbol to guarantee safety, the administration said.

The standards and regulations that govern Chinese food are also in the process of being altered.

Changes have been made to 1,817 national standards for edible agricultural products and processed foods, while 208 have been abolished. The food industry has set a further 2,588 standards, 6,949 have been established by local governments.

Amendments have been made to 140,000 enterprise standards, the Standardisation Administration of China (SAC) stated, according to media reports.