BEIJING - A national forum was held Friday in China's capital on dealing with food safety problems through improved legislation and law enforcement.

"Food safety remains a social problem of wide concern. A series of major incidents in recent years have exposed the urgency and significance of strengthening legal construction on food safety," said Li Jianguo, vice chairman and secretary-general of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, at the forum.

According to a statement released after the meeting, the country will set down more detailed categories and punishments for food safety-related crimes and revise laws and regulations to strengthen supervision in accordance with new situations,

Meanwhile, the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) will issue a guideline next year to supervise food safety in the catering industry with quantity-specified standards and a classification system, the statement said.

About 300 experts, scholars and officials from central and local government organizations attended the meeting.

Sponsored by the China Law Society, the forum was supported by the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the ministries of Public Security, Health and Agriculture, State Administration for Industry and Commerce, General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, and the SFDA.

These authorities are also the Chinese government's main law enforcement agencies in handling food safety issues.