January 25, 2011

China faces food threats from Clenbuterol use

Clenbuterol, known in China simply as "lean meat powder," is a dangerous drug that is banned in China yet continues to emerge in the food supply, laced into animal feed by farmers eager to get their meat to market and turn a profit.

The drug accelerates fat burning and muscle growth, making it an attractive feed additive, sports performance enhancer and slimming drug, but overdoses can cause illness and, in rare cases, death.

How much of China's meat supply is tainted with clenbuterol is not clear, but industry watchers say that in the countryside at least, use of the drug is rampant.

Adding clenbuterol to feed can reduce a pig's body fat to a very thin layer and makes butchered skin pinker, giving the appearance of fresher meat for a longer time.

The appealing look is one reason Chinese meat suppliers sometimes demand clenbuterol-treated pork from pig farmers, analysts said.

The drug lingers in highest concentrations in organs such as liver and lung - and poisonings appear more frequent in south China where organ meat is more popular.

The majority of poisoning cases in the news have involved pork, which is by far China's most popular meat. Nearly 50 million tonnes of pork are produced and consumed per year - amounting to about half the global supply.

The sprawling industry is in the midst of a huge transformation, from mostly backyard farms a few years ago to increasingly large- and medium-sized facilities - a shift which should make it easier to monitor for illicit feed additives like clenbuterol, analysts said.