Food poisoning deaths up one third in 2007

China's Health Ministry said Monday that food poisoning rose by almost 32% in 2007 over the previous year, despite the total number of food poisoning incidents dropping, Reuters reported. According to a ministry publication, of the 13,280 who fell sick, 258 deaths were reported, and there were also 11 cases in which more than 100 people fell ill. No explanations were given for 2007's trends, but most of the reported incidents occurred in the third quarter of last year. In recent months, China has encountered numerous problems regarding the safety of faced food and drink product manufactured for the domestic as well as the export market.