Tianjin will almost double food safety monitoring sites this year to ease growing public concern, an official said.

Lin Lijun, director of Tianjin Food and Drug Administration and a deputy to the city's people's congress, said the number of sites will increase from the current 660 to 1,200. They will cover supermarkets, wet markets selling aquatic and agricultural products, major hospitals and restaurants.

Food samples will be tested on a regular basis to check for pesticide residue, heavy metals and other items, and hospitals will be required to deliver regular reports on food borne diseases, Lin said on the sidelines of the ongoing Tianjin legislature's meeting.