District and county governments in Beijing will be held responsible for any serious food safety violations in their areas, according to a regulation unveiled yesterday.

The Beijing Food Safety Administration said if its attention were drawn to any incident, it will investigate the concerned government departments in addition to food manufacturers.

Officials will be punished for improper management or dereliction of duty, it said, adding that they will also be held accountable for failing to "plug food safety loopholes in time" or for "inflicting severe consequences" by not dealing with illegal activities.