Amid an increase in food poisoning cases and poor hygienic conditions in the local catering industry, the Shanghai Health Bureau will launch a citywide campaign to renovate restaurants, school canteens, as well as companies that deliver food to schools and food stalls in free markets.

　　The move, from Septem-ber to June next year, will cover all 30,000-odd eateries and companies, and is aimed at improving quality and ensuring food safety, officials said yesterday.

　　The bureau has vowed to shut down restaurants that fail to meet requirements as the catering sector is respon-sible for more than 60 per-cent of food poisoning cases.

　　In summer, the cases increase quickly. We have been receiving daily reports about such accidents, said Fang Youzong, vice director of the Shanghai Health Supervision Institute.

　　In a recent case last week, Ming Shaotang？owner of an unlicensed cooked beef workshop in Minhang Dist-rict? provided questionable salted beef to 13 eateries in Qingpu District which led to some 80 people suffering food poisoning.

　　òMing is under police custody and will be jailed for up to seven years for violating public safety, Fang added.

　　Officials said that the main problems are poor facilities and management, bad hygienic conditions and irregular cooking process that causes pollution.

　　To serve more customers, many restaurants are wide-ning their serving areas while shrinking their kitchens. Some eateries even wash and cook food in the open.

　　The cooked food and raw materials are put together, which is the main reason for food poisoning, Fang said.

　　The bureau introduced two new policies to streng-then its administration:

　　Restaurants, schools and companies are required to hire professional hygiene supervisors, who have received training from the health supervision institute.

　　A grading system will be launched in the industry and results will be made public to pressurize poor performers.