The Chinese Ministry of Commerce will continue to tighten regulations concerning the country's hog slaughter industry this year, an official from the ministry said on Wednesday.

Wang Zhengang, deputy director of the ministry's Department of Market Supervision, said the ministry will continue raising the industry's entrance threshold as a way to enhance the safety of the China's meat.

"We have shut down several thousand small companies, which could not meet the state's standards, last year," Wang said at a news conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

"This year we will continue monitoring the healthy development of the slaughtering industry."

In the meantime, the ministry will also encourage further industry consolidation. "We will encourage big companies with advanced management mechanisms and facilities to expand their scale," he added.

In June, the ministry will organize a meat expo in Beijing. The expo aims to allow consumers to have a better understanding of the hog industry and foster healthy dietary habits, Wang added.