They were also warned by the deputy inspector at the quality watchdog's food division Bi Yu'an to stay away from obviously shoddy and expired products.

While this might be seen as a move to wash the country's hands of ensuring adequate safety checks are in place, Yu'an urged consumers to report concerns to government departments. Recently the country has been seeking to make a concerted effort after substandard ingredients turned up on the market.

He said: "I recommend that when you choose food, go for name brands and those with government-assured quality labels. These are the best quality goods.

"Also, pay attention to the production and expiry dates, and whether or not the packaging is complete or the contents distended.

"This is common sense. Do it every day. I've seen lots of female comrades learning how they should do this, and that way you can gradually build up your skills at working out what's bad and what's fake," he added.

China has been hit with a host of safety problems this year. In the last few months it has been taking steps to rectify the problem.

This year problems included the Philippines department of education (DepEd) ordering a ban on the sale of illegal Chinese food products. According to the department more than 50,000 schools across the nation were selling biscuits and candies that contain formaldehyde, a carcinogenic substance currently banned by the government.

Several Chinese exporters were also placed on a Malaysian "watch list" after 18 food shipments tested positive for high levels of preservatives and pesticides.

The shipments included crates of preserved fruits, seaweed, lychees, honey and salted vegetables, the newspaper said.

According to Reuters, problems with food safety are paramount in China's vast countryside, where many small factories have contributed to a string of food poisoning incidents.

Most recently, four children in the poor southern province of Yunnan died after eating a dried-noodle snack.

Public fears about food safety grew in 2004, when at least 13 babies died of malnutrition in Anhui province, in eastern China, after they were fed fake milk powder.