Seven US companies have seen their meat products banned from the
Chinese mainland following accusations of tainted foodstuffs from
Chinese authorities.
The products affected included certain ingredients for popular
Chinese dishes such as pig ears and chicken feet which were found
to contain salmonella, feed additives and veterinary drugs, says
the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and
Quarantine (AQSIQ) website (www.aqsiq.gov.cn).
The other US companies on the ban list are Sanderson Farms Inc,
Intervision Foods, AJC International Inc, Cargill Meat Solutions
Corp, Van Luin Foods USA Inc and "Thumph Foods", which most likely
is Missouri-based Triumph Foods.
The last three firms have been given 45 days to get their
products in order, with details of the delays for the other firms
not released.
In late June, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it
would not allow three types of farm-raised fish, as well as shrimp
and eel, from Chinese suppliers to enter its market till the
companies prove they didn't contain any harmful residue.
AQSIQ chief Li Changjiang called the move "unacceptable", saying
China, too, detects many substandard food products from the US
every year.
The AQSIQ yesterday said the local entry-exit inspection and
quarantine department in North China's Shanxi Province had found
excessive amounts of selenium in protein powder imported from
US-based Jarrow Formulas Inc. The products have been sent back.
Excessive amounts of selenium could lead to gastrointestinal
disorders, hair loss, neurological damage, cirrhosis of the liver
and even death.
(China Daily July 16, 2007)
