July 16, 2007

 

China strikes back at US meat producers for contamination cases

 

 

China has suspended imports of chicken feet, pig ears and other animal products from seven US companies after finding antibiotics and salmonella in various shipments.

 

The ban was seen as a tit-for-tat move introduced after the US raised public complaints about shoddy Chinese products and banned five types of Chinese seafood for antibiotic contamination.

 

China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said the US meat shipments meat was contaminated with salmonella, feed additives and veterinary drugs.

 

In recent weeks, the US media has highlighted an ever lengthening list of Chinese products containing high levels of toxins and raked up China's food safety issues in recent years, at home and abroad.

 

However, as China works to improve its food safety, authorities have prominently announced rejected imports -- apparently to show it is not the only country with food export safety problems.

 

Products were from big-name processors in the US.

 

Frozen poultry products from Tyson Foods Inc.were found to be contaminated with salmonella while frozen chicken feet from Sanderson Farms Inc. was tainted with an anti-parasite drug. Frozen pork ribs from

Cargill Meat Solutions Corp. was said to contain a leanness-enhancing feed additive.

 

All three companies have not either not responded to the claim or said they would work with Chinese and US officials to further investigate the issue.

 

Products from smaller companies also did not escape censure.

 

Fozen pig ears from Kansas City, Missouri-based Van Luin Foods USA, Inc. were found to contain the leanness-enhancing feed additive ractopamine.

 

Frozen chicken feet and frozen pork tainted with ractopamine were discovered from two other US companies.

 

It was unclear whether the bans covered only the tainted product types, or all of the companies' imports.

 

China has hired public relations company Oglivy and Edelman to refurbish its damaged reputation as a product manufacturer and reassure alarmed consumers on the safety of its products.

 

Officials have been saying that although little publicised, the rate at which China has rejected US exports is just a little less than what the US has been doing to Chinese exports, suggesting that US products contain similar deficiencies as well. US products rejected by China included orange pulp, dried apricots, raisins and health supplements.

 

Li Yuanping, director of AQSIQ's import and export bureau, told Xinhua news agency that more than 99 percent of China's exports meets standards.