A
Anonymous
Guest
China won't even allow US inspectors Visa's into the country to investigate the tainted wheat and rice (won't even admit they sold it)- in the dogfood & hog food contaminations--and the Chinese people don't even trust their food safety-- but the good ol boys at USDA are pressing forward at full steam to let China export more foodstuffs into the US...I'm not sure if "defied imagination" is a strong enough term.......
---------------------------------------------
… fact that the USDA was not reconsidering its decision to
ease restrictions on chicken from China - a country that has suffered outbreaks
of the highly pathogenic and deadly strain of H5N1 "Asian" bird flu that has
infected humans - "defies imagination."
DJ US Proceeds On Plan To Raise China Access To US Chicken Mkt
6:31 AM, April 20, 2007
By Bill Tomson
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
Agriculture Online
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The U.S. is moving ahead with a plan to expand
China's ability to export processed chicken here, a U.S. Department of
Agriculture official said Thursday after food safety concerns were raised at a
House of Representatives panel hearing.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., chairwoman of the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on Agriculture, called into question China's ability to safely
process and ship chicken for human consumption in light of discoveries that the
country exported tainted pet food ingredients.
USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety Richard Raymond said the proposal to
allow China to export processed chicken here is now in the "rule-making" phase.
He said he was confident in China's ability to export processed chicken safely
because food safety audits were conducted in China by USDA officials.
Raymond stressed that the level of scrutiny on human food products is much
tighter than for pet food products, which are regulated by the Food and Drug
Administration.
China is already allowed to ship processed chicken to the U.S., but only if
the raw chicken is of U.S. origin and only as long as it is cooked during the
processing. The new rule the USDA is working on goes further by seeking to
allow China to export its own domestically grown chicken after cooking.
DeLauro said the fact that the USDA was not reconsidering its decision to
ease restrictions on chicken from China - a country that has suffered outbreaks
of the highly pathogenic and deadly strain of H5N1 "Asian" bird flu that has
infected humans - "defies imagination."
The Asian strain of H5N1 bird flu virus has never been found in the U.S.
DeLauro, who is also the second-highest-ranking Democrat on the House Budget
Committee, said earlier this year she will fight to block the USDA's latest
attempt to increase China's ability to sell processed chicken to the U.S., and
she reaffirmed that commitment Thursday.
-By Bill Tomson; Dow Jones Newswires
agriculture.com
Mass poisonings highlight China food safety concerns
By Neil Merrett
Food Quality News
19/04/2007 - The Chinese government is likely to come under further pressure to review its safety procedures following a recent wave of food poisoning outbreaks in the country.
An alleged food poisoning case involving 30 people in a cafeteria in the Fujian Province is the fourth similar occurrence in the space of two weeks, according to the country's Xinhua news agency.
The latest scare over food safety is likely to heighten pressure on the Chinese government and the food industry to reform its safety procedures amidst growing concern from consumers over the quality and safety of products.
On Monday, two separate incidents occured involving workers in Shanghai and high-school children in Changchun, resulting in 79 people being hospitalised for suspected cases of food poisoning.
These outbreaks followed an incident on 9 April, where hospital food reportedly contaminated with rat poison was served to 200 people, resulting in one fatality.
Growing concerns over outbreaks such as these already appear to have driven some response from the government.
At the beginning of this month, the Chinese government reportedly began reviewing food recall procedures in a bid to prevent contaminated products from entering the market, while also minimising their effect on consumers.
The announcement could go some way in allaying fears that with no official national body to currently enact food recalls, companies may not be supplying the relevant information needed to track dangerous products.
Any new measures are therefore likely to be welcomed by consumers in the country.
Last year, a poll of 868 people in the southern province of Guangzhou found that 80 per cent of those questioned were worried about the safety of food they purchased.
The survey by the Guangzhou public opinion research centre during November found that more than 62 per cent of people believed government agencies could work more closely and increase the frequency of food inspection.
They also wanted the penalty for breaking regulations to be increased. Food producers found guilty of selling poor quality or unsafe products face fines of up to CNY30,000 (€2,850) but this merely equals the cost of regular food testing.
China saw a number of high profile food safety scares last year, including the discovery of the potentially carcinogenic colorant, Sudan Red, in duck eggs.
Some 1,159kgs of eggs produced in Hebei Province near Beijing were pulled from supermarket shelves in the capital after tests showed that the red colour of the yolks - thought by consumers to be a sign of higher quality - were caused by the dye, likely added to chicken feed.
The food safety problems have also highlighted the gap between rural and urban areas of China, both in terms of enforcement and awareness.
The State Food and Drug Administration has so far only established its presence at the provincial level and in selected cities.
foodqualitynews.com
---------------------------------------------
… fact that the USDA was not reconsidering its decision to
ease restrictions on chicken from China - a country that has suffered outbreaks
of the highly pathogenic and deadly strain of H5N1 "Asian" bird flu that has
infected humans - "defies imagination."
DJ US Proceeds On Plan To Raise China Access To US Chicken Mkt
6:31 AM, April 20, 2007
By Bill Tomson
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
Agriculture Online
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--The U.S. is moving ahead with a plan to expand
China's ability to export processed chicken here, a U.S. Department of
Agriculture official said Thursday after food safety concerns were raised at a
House of Representatives panel hearing.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., chairwoman of the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on Agriculture, called into question China's ability to safely
process and ship chicken for human consumption in light of discoveries that the
country exported tainted pet food ingredients.
USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety Richard Raymond said the proposal to
allow China to export processed chicken here is now in the "rule-making" phase.
He said he was confident in China's ability to export processed chicken safely
because food safety audits were conducted in China by USDA officials.
Raymond stressed that the level of scrutiny on human food products is much
tighter than for pet food products, which are regulated by the Food and Drug
Administration.
China is already allowed to ship processed chicken to the U.S., but only if
the raw chicken is of U.S. origin and only as long as it is cooked during the
processing. The new rule the USDA is working on goes further by seeking to
allow China to export its own domestically grown chicken after cooking.
DeLauro said the fact that the USDA was not reconsidering its decision to
ease restrictions on chicken from China - a country that has suffered outbreaks
of the highly pathogenic and deadly strain of H5N1 "Asian" bird flu that has
infected humans - "defies imagination."
The Asian strain of H5N1 bird flu virus has never been found in the U.S.
DeLauro, who is also the second-highest-ranking Democrat on the House Budget
Committee, said earlier this year she will fight to block the USDA's latest
attempt to increase China's ability to sell processed chicken to the U.S., and
she reaffirmed that commitment Thursday.
-By Bill Tomson; Dow Jones Newswires
agriculture.com
Mass poisonings highlight China food safety concerns
By Neil Merrett
Food Quality News
19/04/2007 - The Chinese government is likely to come under further pressure to review its safety procedures following a recent wave of food poisoning outbreaks in the country.
An alleged food poisoning case involving 30 people in a cafeteria in the Fujian Province is the fourth similar occurrence in the space of two weeks, according to the country's Xinhua news agency.
The latest scare over food safety is likely to heighten pressure on the Chinese government and the food industry to reform its safety procedures amidst growing concern from consumers over the quality and safety of products.
On Monday, two separate incidents occured involving workers in Shanghai and high-school children in Changchun, resulting in 79 people being hospitalised for suspected cases of food poisoning.
These outbreaks followed an incident on 9 April, where hospital food reportedly contaminated with rat poison was served to 200 people, resulting in one fatality.
Growing concerns over outbreaks such as these already appear to have driven some response from the government.
At the beginning of this month, the Chinese government reportedly began reviewing food recall procedures in a bid to prevent contaminated products from entering the market, while also minimising their effect on consumers.
The announcement could go some way in allaying fears that with no official national body to currently enact food recalls, companies may not be supplying the relevant information needed to track dangerous products.
Any new measures are therefore likely to be welcomed by consumers in the country.
Last year, a poll of 868 people in the southern province of Guangzhou found that 80 per cent of those questioned were worried about the safety of food they purchased.
The survey by the Guangzhou public opinion research centre during November found that more than 62 per cent of people believed government agencies could work more closely and increase the frequency of food inspection.
They also wanted the penalty for breaking regulations to be increased. Food producers found guilty of selling poor quality or unsafe products face fines of up to CNY30,000 (€2,850) but this merely equals the cost of regular food testing.
China saw a number of high profile food safety scares last year, including the discovery of the potentially carcinogenic colorant, Sudan Red, in duck eggs.
Some 1,159kgs of eggs produced in Hebei Province near Beijing were pulled from supermarket shelves in the capital after tests showed that the red colour of the yolks - thought by consumers to be a sign of higher quality - were caused by the dye, likely added to chicken feed.
The food safety problems have also highlighted the gap between rural and urban areas of China, both in terms of enforcement and awareness.
The State Food and Drug Administration has so far only established its presence at the provincial level and in selected cities.
foodqualitynews.com