Xiang Xianhan (left) in Kangbao county, Hubei province, sells local specialties on Taobao.com while his father is busy packing the goods.[Photo/Yang Tao]

AN INCREASING NUMBER OF shoddy goods, especially food products, have reportedly made inroads into China's rural areas in recent years. Changjiang Daily commented on Wednesday:

Albeit rural consumers have more money to spend, they are still not able to make the most of it, as there are too many counterfeit products on sale in rural areas, especially fake food products that are produced in unhygienic conditions and may even contain hazardous addictives.

But it is not easy for rural residents to distinguish shoddy goods from the authentic ones, as the fake products are carefully packaged copycats.

The country's increasingly strict supervision on food quality has dealt a blow to the production and trade of counterfeit foods. However, the producers of fake foodstuff still manage to sell them in rural areas by exploiting the supervisory loopholes in rural markets.

Loose supervision is the primary reason for the prevalence of fake goods in rural China, where supervisory forces are often marginalized and consumers struggle to defend their legal interests. As a result, they tend to turn a blind eye to the dumping of unwanted and unqualified goods.

There should be no safe haven for such misdeeds, which governments at all levels are obligated to nip in the bud.

Local enforcement of the relevant rules needs to be enhanced and more concrete efforts made to put an end to the illegal circulation of shoddy goods in rural marketplaces.

In addition, the owners of local markets need to be reminded of their responsibility to ensure only genuine products are available in the first place.

As for rural residents, they should be taught more about food safety, how to avoid being fooled by fake products, and more importantly, what to do to safeguard their legal rights as consumers.