Battery-tainted fertilizer marks latest food scandal(2)

Zhu Lijia, a professor with the Chinese Academy of Governance, said government supervisors are to blame.

"The farmers do share some responsibility, but if the government was strictly supervising them, such things wouldn't have happened," he said.

The scale of contamination, as well as how much tainted produce has reached the market, is not yet clear.

Guangdong authorities said they are investigating the situation.

The Chinese public has become increasingly concerned over food safety after a slew of scares -- from melamine-tainted baby formula products to pork contaminated with clenbuterol -- exposed the vulnerability of the country's food sector in recent years.

Authorities handled 15,000 food safety cases and shut down 5,700 unlicensed businesses during inspections conducted across China in the first half of the year, according to the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.

The State Council issued a statement in July stating that it will make efforts to establish a better regulation mechanism, an improved legal and standard system and technical support for food safety and improve the food industry's overall performance in the area over the next five years.