China to U.S.: Be gentle about the melamine mess

[OldDog/NewTricks]

General News
China to U.S.: Be gentle about the melamine mess

By Tom Johnston on 5/17/2007 for Meatingplace.com

Weber Inc
Fearing backlash from Washington after two Chinese companies intentionally contaminated U.S. pet food ingredients with melamine, China's quality inspection watchdog is pleading for mercy, according to the International Herald Tribune.

Beijing noted that it recently shuttered the two companies and detained several of their officials for unleashing one of the largest pet food recalls in U.S. history, and tainting livestock feed across the country. (See For the birds: Contaminated feed now found on chicken farms in Indiana on Meatingplace.com, May 1, 2007.)

"We hope the American side will accurately and objectively deal with problems among individual companies and not take stringent measures against other Chinese companies producing the same type of products," China;s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection & Quarantine indicated, adding that it hoped the case wouldn't prompt major trade problems.

 

[PureCountry]

Well that's news to me! Intentionally contaminating the pet food. To me this is just one more reason why things like pet food and so many other commodities should be locally grown and locally processed. Ingredients for something as simple as pet food coming from China makes as much sense as an elevator in an outhouse.

 

[Anonymous]

Well that's news to me! Intentionally contaminating the pet food. To me this is just one more reason why things like pet food and so many other commodities should be locally grown and locally processed. Ingredients for something as simple as pet food coming from China makes as much sense as an elevator in an outhouse.

Purecountry- you better go over to Bullsessions and read the stacks of posts about how China defrauded both the US and Canada with what is believed to be probable "intentionally contaminated" wheat and rice products ( to raise the protein count and make more bucks) which ended up in dog/cat , hog, poultry, and fish food- and how neither of our countries are testing/set up to test any of this imported food product- even tho it is from a Communist country with a dubious record of food/livestock feed safety.... :roll: :???:

And I agree with you 100% about the locally grown and processed- over saving less than a dime by buying cheap imports....One of the reasons I so strongly support truth in labeling laws-- like M-COOL on all imports...Let the consumer decide if the cheap food imports or the food products made from the cheap imports are worth the supposed savings...

You'll never convince my neighbor that lost many thousands of dollars worth of good cattle dogs- and his best "hired men", that cheaper is better...

 

[cwfmr181]

you will never convince me either. i lost my aussie and 7 of her 12 puppies. she was just working the cattle that we halter break like a pro. you just cant replace a dog like that overnite.

 

[Red Barn Angus]

I see little reason to import any kind of food products from China. It is awful that so many people lost their pets and friends and "ranch hands". I just cannot believe that they can import wheat glutten from China to Kansas, where ample wheat is grown, and still save money. The freight half way around the world has to be significant. It all comes back to greed on the part of Menu Foods. I hope they take a serious financial thumping for all the grief and sorrow they caused so many animal lovers.

 

[PureCountry]

I firmly believe the day is coming when transportation costs are going to be so astronomically high, that our whole food system will be forced to change. Grocery store chains in Canada will not be able to afford the freight to import strawberries/grapes and such from California, peaches from Georgia and so many other things just on this continent, let alone ones from across the globe. It will get back to the way it SHOULD be, where consumers make the connections with the producers in their regions, to build relationships in order to get what they need. CSA's are already becoming more and more popular in many areas, (Community Sustainable Agriculture)where customers pay for their produce in advance, and the producer then delivers their "contracted" order when it's been harvested. They get money in advance to help with production costs, and the consumer gets the reassurance of knowing they will get what they pay for, and know where it came from. There's been some great articles on it in AcresUSA magazine.