Nearly 300 people fell ill in central China after eating meat suspected of containing illegal additives, the latest in a spate of contamination problems to emerge even as the government vows to crack down on food-safety violators.

　　中国中部地区近300人食用疑似含有非法添加剂的猪肉后患病，这是一连串曝光的食品污染事件中的最新一起，而中国政府正誓言要打击食品安全违规者。

　　Officials in Changsha, the capital of central Hunan province, confirmed on Monday that 286 people had sought medical help over the weekend after eating in Wu Feng, a village 25 miles southwest of Changsha. Eight people are still in hospital.

　　Wu Hong/European Pressphoto Agency在山东省的一个养猪场；上周末的猪肉污染事件数周之前，中国刚刚宣布将进行监管行动，确保肉制品供应链安全。湖南省长沙市官方周一证实，上周末在长沙西南方向40公里处的五丰村，286人因食物中毒被送往医院救治。目前有8人仍在医院。

　　The state-run China Daily newspaper blamed clenbuterol, a substance that speeds muscle growth in pigs but can cause headache, nausea and an irregular heartbeat when consumed by humans. Changsha authorities could not confirm the report, saying that they were opening an investigation.

　　官方媒体《中国日报》英文版报道称导致食物中毒的原因可能是瘦肉精，这种物质能加速猪的肌肉生长，但人体消耗后会导致头痛、恶心和不规则心跳。长沙有关当局无法证实该报道，说他们正在展开调查。

　　China has been hit by a wave of food-additive scares recently. Health officials over the weekend ordered 17 noodle makers in Dongguan, a city in southern Guangdong province, to stop production after discovering their products contained non-edible additives such as ink, industrial dye and paraffin wax, according to the China Daily.

　　中国最近受到一轮食品添加剂恐慌的袭击。据《中国日报》报道，广东东莞卫生执法人员检测到17家粉条生产企业的产品含有墨汁、工业染料和石蜡等非食用添加剂，随即责令这些企业停产。

　　In Guangdong, authorities last week seized 16 tons of pork contaminated with sodium borate, which changes the color of the meat to make it look more like higher-priced beef, according to the People's Procuratorate of Guangdong Province, a government body in charge of prosecutions.

　　上周，广东省人民检察院披露，该省有关部门查获16吨猪肉浸泡硼砂冒充牛肉，猪肉经硼砂浸泡后颜色会更像价格更高的牛肉。

　　Also last week, police arrested 12 people in the northeast China city of Shenyang after finding sodium nitrite, a toxic chemical that makes vegetables grow faster, in bean sprouts, according to the Shenyang Municipal Public Security Bureau.

　　同样是在上周，沈阳市公安局发布消息说，警方在豆芽中检测到亚硝酸钠并逮捕了12人，这种有毒化学物质能让蔬菜长得更快。

　　Last month health inspectors discovered clenbuterol in pork products from a subsidiary of China's largest meat-processing company, Shuanghui Group. The company apologized on its website and said it discontinued partnerships with producers using the contaminant.

　　上个月，卫生监管机构发现双汇集团旗下一家公司的猪肉产品含有瘦肉精。双汇是中国最大的肉类加工企业。公司在其网站上道歉并说终止了与使用瘦肉精生产商的合作关系。

　　More than two years have passed since China's government, responding to a scandal in which milk contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine killed at least six children and caused illnesses in nearly 300,000 others, vowed to enforce stricter food-safety regulations.

　　两年多前，中国发生婴幼儿配方奶粉中掺加化工产品三聚氰胺的丑闻，造成至少六名儿童死亡，近30万人患病。中国政府对此做出反应，郑重承诺要实施更加严格的食品安全法规。

　　Though the government executed two men involved in the production and sale of the contaminated milk and threatened other violators with the death penalty, many believe it has fallen short of its promise to improve food standards.

　　尽管政府对参与毒奶粉生产和销售的两名涉案人员处以死刑，并扬言对其他违规者判处死刑，但很多人认为政府没有兑现提高食品标准的承诺。

　　Enforcement hasn't been strict enough, said Wu Ming, a professor of public health at Beijing University. "We've enacted so many policies, but haven't been able to fully implement them," said Ms. Ming, adding that many people have evaded laws or used personal relationships to avoid punishment for breaking them.

　　北京大学公共卫生学院教授吴明说，执法不够严格，我们颁布了很多政策，但没能贯彻实施。她还说，很多人规避法律，或利用个人关系逃避法律制裁。

　　Lower-level municipal authorities also often fail to report violations, said Lester Ross, a Beijing-based attorney with U.S. law firm WilmerHale. These companies are all taxpayers, he explained, and seizing their operations would typically result in loss of local tax revenue.

　　PHEI CHIN/European Pressphoto Agency上周在中国东北城市沈阳发生了毒豆芽事件。中国最近已经发生了一系列食品安全问题。美国威凯平和而德律师事务所(WilmerHale)驻北京律师罗斯(Lester Ross)说，下级地方政府也常常不上报违规案件。他解释说，这些公司都是纳税人，查封它们的业务往往会导致地方税收遭受损失。

　　Mr. Ross said that many companies see additives as a way to shave costs or increase income. "In many instances, the people doing this have no idea that they could be putting people's lives at risk," he said said. "The government, including the Ministry of Health, needs to step in and educate people at all levels of the dangers involved in using chemicals in food."

　　罗斯说，很多公司把添加剂看作是一种降低成本或提高收入的手段。他说，很多情况下，使用添加剂的人并不知道他们这样做可能会把别人的生命置于危险中。包括卫生部在内的各级政府部门需要介入，教育公众在食品中使用化学品的危险。

　　China's Ministry of Health did not immediately reply to requests for comment. At a national conference on food safety in February, Health Minister Chen Zhu announced plans to decrease food contamination and hazards this year.

　　中国卫生部暂时没有回复记者的置评请求。在2月份召开的一个全国食品安全大会上，卫生部部长陈竺宣布了今年减少食品污染和危害的计划。

　　"Reducing and eliminating food-safety problems and related crimes is a long arduous and complicated process" he was quoted in the China Daily as saying.

　　《中国日报》援引陈竺的话报导说，食品安全特别是打击食品安全违法犯罪行为将是一个长期、艰巨、复杂的过程。