Chinese Food Imports Under Microscope

Jump to Comments

Have you been keeping up on the pet food/Chinese import food scandal as it unfolds? It’s been quite a ride.

On April 30, the New York Times had a story about how adding “filler” to animal feed is a common practice in China. (It’s also a common practice in North America as well, although not widely-known; the difference is that in North America, ground-up chickens are added to chicken feed, while in China they add plastics instead.) In the article, a manager in a Chinese animal feed plant explained that adding melamine to feed will increase the nitrogen levels, allowing it to test higher for protein and thus fetch a higher price. It’s common practice, he claims.

However, on May 4, the manager of Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Company, the company which is accused of exporting the contaminated wheat gluten to the United States, was arrested by Chinese authorities. (They wouldn’t reveal on what charges.) It’s clear that the whole issue has become an embaressment to China, especially now that the FDA is starting to crack down on imports from Chinese manufacturers in the wake of the scandal. Some of the refusal reasons reported by the FDA for April imports are stomach-turning: dried pears considered “filthy” and treated with a cancer-causing chemical, catfish contaminated with salmonella, frozen roasted eel contaminated with veterinary drugs and pesticides…. Mmmm! And considering that the FDA has admitted that they’re not able to check everything coming into the country, even from one country of concern, how much “bad food” has made it past the inspectors and onto store shelves?

I’m not one to run around trying to scare people, but it’s refreshing to see that people are finally starting to realize where the food they’re eating comes from, and how entangled the food distribution web can be. The Washington Post had a great graphic showing where all of the tainted wheat flour went after it was imported, and why it was so hard to trace. Mission Foods and Tyson Foods have also let their suppliers know that they do not want them using any ingredients from China. This may be very difficult for them to accomplish, but perhaps it will lead to better labelling on food products and the origin of ingredients. (It will also probably lead to higher prices for processed foods. I’m not sure that’s a bad thing.) And Senator Bayh is asking Bush to strengthen the US stance on imported foods to ensure safety.

The sad thing is, it’s unlikely that the US will come down extra-hard on Chinese imports. In the web of international commerce, the US needs to allow Chinese imports in order for China to allow imports from the US. In fact, the US has recently relaxed some import regulations for chicken, and now they are working on allowing Chinese-raised chickens to be sold in the US.

The moral: be aware of what you’re eating, and ask questions.

3 Comments

Filed under Food News, Food Safety