China Not Sole Source of Dubious Food

[RamboLiberal]

Source: NY Times

Black pepper with salmonella from India. Crabmeat from Mexico that is too filthy to eat. Candy from Denmark that is mislabeled.

At a time when Chinese imports are under fire for being contaminated or defective, federal records suggest that China is not the only country that has problems with its exports.

In fact, federal inspectors have stopped more food shipments from India and Mexico in the last year than they have from China, an analysis of data maintained by the Food and Drug Administration shows.

China has had much-publicized problems with contaminated seafood — including a temporary ban late last month on imports of five species of farm-raised seafood from China — but federal inspectors refused produce from the Dominican Republic and candy from Denmark more often.

For instance, produce from the Dominican Republic was stopped 817 times last year, usually for containing traces of illegal pesticides. Candy from Denmark was impounded 520 times.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/12/business/12imports.html?hp

[napi21]

1. I understand your point, but what is the % of China imports compared

to imports from India, the Dominican Reputlic and Mexico?

I want the FDA to stop ALL unfit for consumption goods, wether it be raw materials that would be used in US goods or finished product, but I keep hearing that there simply aren't enough people at the FDA to do that, and THAT is the reason so many things are getting past inspection!

[kurth]

2. I'd take mislabeled candy from Denmark over mislabeled candy from China anyday

[SayWhatYo]

19. my first thought too..

Although, I hate it when I get those chocolate boxes, and I pull out a piece thinking it's a caramel thing, but it turns out to be that nasty tasting strawberry goo(I love strawberries, but hate that filling)

[daleo]

3. Is toothpaste food?

To answer my own question:

"The F.D.A. inspects foreign shipments of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, animal drugs and some electronic devices."

They don't give any details about Denmark. I have a hunch that's a red herring.

[LeftyMom]

10. Yeah, how were those mislabeled?

EU food regs are stricter than ours, but if they had the metric weight and EU nutrition labels rather than US ones, they could be stopped as an illegal import even if perfectly safe.

[daleo]

16. I was thinking along those lines too. n/t

[Bitwit1234]

4. With foreign markets not importing goods from the US

why in the hell do we continue to take their junk. Our candy, our sea food and our products, while not 100% perfect are 100% better than theirs. I don't understand why, unless it is fruit we can't grow here why we would import foreign food.

[hedgehog]

5. I picked up a box of Hershey cookies at the store tonight.

I put the box back when I checked the label and saw "Made in Columbia".

[Critters2]

7. Hershey's has a deal to open a factory in China soon.

Which has helped me discover that Smucker's makes a fine chocolate syrup.

[Greyhound]

12. Fox's U-Bet Chocolate syrup is the best I've found and it is all-American. n/t

:hi::kick:

[Critters2]

14. I never heard of it, but the co. website says it's available

around here. I'll have to look for it. Thanks!

[harpboy_ak]

17. When did the US start growing cocoa trees? n/t

[silverojo]

8. Holy crap! n/t

[denixen]

15. "Tassie" Devils

Hi -

Could'nt help mentioning it. As an Australian, I love that pic. I've never seen a devil looking so vicious. Then again - Ms Coulter would win in total knock out. Imagine the sumptuous reaction a democratic commentator would receive if he or she said they wished the President had been assassinated by terrorists.

[newyawker99]

18. Hi denixen!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[silverojo]

6. I have no doubt that China's not alone in this

Who the hell would want food from Mexico, a place where people are warned not to drink the water? (Guess what, water is used in processing food.) And if I want food from freakin' India, I'll GO there.

Given the costs of shipping, I don't care how much cheaper labor is...there's no way it's cheaper to make stuff outside the USA. These rotten companies are just in it for the tax breaks of having businesses offshore. :mad:

[aquart]

9. Unregulated capitalism will kill you.

All self-regulating markets do it by body count. That's what's happening right now in China.

That's what "free market" Republicans want here. Death.

Profit cannot be the only criteria for a successful market.

[burrowowl]

11. Don't forget the U$ of A!

The FDA is seriously underfunded since RAYGUN to enforce anything. Take Ham for instance all our ham with water and chemicals could not be sold in Europe, it would be considered adulterated.

[Snazzy]

13. how much Chinese PR moola for the story I wonder?

They have an interesting take on PR:

China executes former food safety chief over fake medicines


Jonathan Watts in Beijing
Wednesday July 11, 2007
The Guardian


Chinese executioners put to death the former head of the nation's drug and food safety watchdog yesterday in an attempt to stem a crisis of consumer confidence in domestic produce.
The unusually harsh punishment comes amid a new scandal over the contents of water coolers. According to the Beijing Times, more than half of the capital's coolers contain fake branded water.

It is the latest in a series of outcries over lax safety and quality control standards, several of which have reverberated across the world and damaged China's reputation as an exporter. The government has stepped up its efforts to tackle the bribery and counterfeiting that are at the heart of the problem.

....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,2123206,00.html