China's food poisoning deaths up slightly in 2014

Food safety administration staffs inspect a restaurant in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, on Nov 10, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING -- A total of 110 people died of food poisoning in China in 2014, a 0.9-percent increase from the previous year, according to statistics from the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

In a statement released Monday, the commission said the number of people who suffered from food poisoning last year also climbed by 1.8 percent to 5,657 in a total of 160 food poisoning incidents.

Microbe-related food poisoning led to the most illnesses, while poisonous animals and plants, including mushrooms, were the cause of most of the deaths, it said.

Most deaths occurred at home while public dining halls were where most people fell ill.

The commission called for strengthened risk evaluation and prevention, urging local food safety supervisors to intensify monitoring of canteens in schools and workplaces and banquets in rural areas.

It also called for more education about preventing food poisoning among the public.