April 16, 2007

 

China's food safety problems prompt international concerns

 

 

While China has experienced various food safety problems at home for the past year, it was not until recent weeks when its wheat gluten exports killed a number of pets in the US that the international community began to sit up and take notice.

 

The pet food exported from China was reportedly tainted with melamine, a chemical used in plastics and fertilizers.

 

Other previous cases of food safety issues, which only affected the domestic market,  included the banned dye Sudan red in duck eggs and use of malachite green in turbot. Hundreds of people in Shanghai were also hospitalised last year after eating tainted pork.

 

China's health ministry reported 34,000 cases of food related illnesses in 2005, most of them related to spoiled food, poisonous plants or animals and chemical poisoning.

 

Although authorities are trying to improve inspections, it has to come up against myriad problems such as the established practice in the crop-growing industry using massive amounts of pesticides and chemical fertilizers to boost yields. Huge amounts of antibiotics are also used in the livestock and seafood industry to control disease.

 

Industrial pollution have also raised concerns of heavy metals finding its way into food production.

 

The small and scattered scale of farming in China makes it difficult for authorities to monitor adherence to regulations and certification is often rudimentary.

 

According to the USDA, only 6 percent of China's agricultural products are considered pollution free in 2005.

 

The negative publicity has affected the ability of China's food industry to expand beyond domestic markets.

 

To shore up confidence in its exports, China is setting up a dedicated export supply chain separate from the domestic market with stricter requirements and greater scrutiny than that for the domestic markets.