June 4, 2007

Shanghai launches pork safety check

The Shanghai food and drug watchdog has started a series of inspections to prevent unsafe meat products getting into the market after a spate of food safety issues arose in the nation last year and this year.

The inspections will mainly check for clenbuterol hydrochloride and pork injected with water.

The booths and refrigerators used for meat products would also be examined to see whether they are certified.

Clenobuterol hydrochloride is a drug used to treat bronchial asthma and it has been outlawed because of its side effects.

However, some farmers still use it in breeding pigs to develop more muscles before selling the pork to slaughterhouses.

In humans, clenobuterol hydrochloride poisoning causes increased heart rates, fatigue, hand tremors and vomiting.

Pork prices in many Chinese cities have rocketed recently because of a shortage of supply.

Shanghai's wholesale pork price has hit more than RMB 16 (US$2.09) a kilogramme, up 15 to 20 percent from last month and the highest price in a decade. The retail price hit RMB 22/kg in supermarkets.

Last September, up to 200 people in Shanghai were hospitalised after eating tainted pork processed in Zhejiang province.