May 30, 2007

 

South Korea to create policies against canned Chinese beef

 

 

South Korean lawmakers are seeking legislation to strengthen the consumers' right to know by expanding the place-of-origin requirement on imported beef on reports that beef coming from China has been manufactured in poor hygienic conditions.

 

South Korea currently prohibits Chinese raw beef where it is believed to have been the source of the latest case of foot-and-mouth-disease reported in northeastern Gansu Province in January.  Only pasteurized Chinese beef packed in cans and pouches are allowed, which has led to a surge of such imports in recent years as a substitute for raw beef.

 

Representative Park Jae-wan of the main opposition Grand National Party said consumers remain unaware of the questioned Chinese beef on its alleged poor manufacturing practices. 

 

Park has inspected several Chinese factories in Shandong Province and reported many of them failed to meet international hygiene standards. The report also said many factories registered with the South Korean Food and Drug Administration were have fake information such as dismantled buildings or situated at false addresses. One processing company in Qingdao, the report said, did not exist at its registered address, was found to be located inside a Chinese military unit. Another company in Laishi had a pig pen and piles of excrement alongside its beef processing factory. Also, most of the vehicles used to transport the beef to processing factories were un-refrigerated.

 

A group of lawmakers led by Park plans to present revisions to the Food Hygiene Law and the School Food Service Law in June requiring food service facilities bigger than 300 square meters to clarify the place of origin of their beef ingredients.

 

But the legislation will be short of seeking a trade limit on Chinese beef due to free trade wherein frictions may occur, said Park.

 

Lee Kwang-ho, a political attache to Park who led the inspection trip, said the place of origin should at least be displayed to protect consumers from purchasing possible un-hygienic beef products.

 

China is the third-largest beef exporter for South Korea after New Zealand and Australia, Lee said. Korea imported US$17 million worth of Chinese canned beef, or 12 million kilograms, up considerably from 1.9 million kilograms or $2.8 million in 2003, according to the Korean FDA.

 

The demand for canned Chinese beef has been explosive, given its wide profit margin. A 3-kilogramme can of Chinese beef is priced at US$5 at the time and triples upon reaching South Korean market shelves, but is still much cheaper than Australian or New Zealand beef.

 

Television station MBC also reported Monday that imported Chinese beef contained 1,000 to 10,000 times more bacteria that can cause intestine illnesses than is permitted by the FDA.

 

The report also found the Chinese canned beef is frequently sold as Australian or Korean beef in Seoul restaurants because of the lack of place-of-origin labels.