Several members of Congress have sent a letter to ranking members of the Senator and House Committee on Appropriations and Agriculture, telling them that chicken processed in China and exported to the U.S. should not be served in school lunches. The letter was sent to Senators Mark Pryor (D-AR), Roy Blunt (R-MO), and Congressmen Robert Aderholt (R-AL) and Sam Farr (D-CA). Those members of Congress are concerned about the problem with food safety in China. They also believe FSIS will eventually let China export raw chicken to the U.S. They are asking that language in the Fiscal Year 2014 Agriculture Appropriations Bill should ensure that Chinese-processed chicken will not be included in the National School Lunch Program and other federal food programs, and that no funds should be used … [Read more...]
In a Twist, China Bans U.S. Shellfish
We're used to hearing about how food from China is banned from entering the U.S., or that consumer and food safety groups oppose measures to bring food from that country here. But now China has turned the tables by banning all imports of West coast shellfish from its borders. The issue is paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins and arsenic found in geoduck clams harvested in Renton, Washington and Ketchikan in Alaska. No shellfish harvested on the entire West coast will be exported to China for the foreseeable future. The ban applies to clams, oysters, geoducks, and all bivalve shellfish harvested off Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and northern California. The health departments of those states routinely test for PSP and arsenic, as well as other parasites and bacteria. Officials with the … [Read more...]
Chinese Chicken Proves Unfit
Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch, has released a statement on the USDA's decision to let processed chicken from China enter U.S. borders. This decision was made a few weeks ago, but yesterday USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service admitted that China's poultry slaughter system is not equivalent to the U.S. system. That means China is not eligible to ship poultry products made from Chinese-raised chickens to the U.S. Ms. Hauter said, "China's food safety record is horrific and there are serious concerns with avian influenza. We have also just learned that USDA Secretary Vilsack is scheduled to visit China next week. We sincerely hope that this visit will not be a prelude to a new audit of the Chinese poultry slaughter system. USDA should stop wasting … [Read more...]
China Confirms First Human Case of H7N9 Bird Flu
Officials in China have confirmed the first seasonal case of the H7N9 bird flu in a human being in that country. The person is hospitalized in critical condition. The 36-year-old patient had direct contract with live poultry. Four family members also have symptoms of the disease. This summer, there were 139 cases of the H7N9 bird flu in eastern China. Forty five people died in that outbreak. The virus does not spread easily from person-to-person at this point, but it may evolve that capability. The virus is now in the southern part of the country, around Hong Kong. The city is on a heightened alert status. Officials plan to inspect poultry farms. The problem is that birds do not exhibit symptoms of the disease. Yesterday officials said they are putting temporary bans of live poultry … [Read more...]
China Developing Five Year Policy to Control Bird Flu Outbreaks
Chinese officials are trying to control bird flu outbreaks by occasionally suspending live poultry trading in 110 of the country's poultry markets. The first suspension will be January 31, 2014 and will last until April 30, 2014. Last year, an outbreak of the H7N9 bird flu in China sickened 134 people and killed 43 in that country. In April 2013, all live poultry markets were shut down in Shanghai. That ban was lifted in June 2013. Any violators of this ban will be fined thousands of dollars. Poultry from other cities and provinces must go through designated slaughterhouses and can't be sold at the local markets. Experts say that the H7N9 virus may recur. So far this autumn, there have been five cases of the bird flu in humans beings on the mainland. There have not been verified … [Read more...]
USDA Says Jury Still Out on Poultry Slaughtered in China
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) has hit the panic button on poultry from China too early, says the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA- FSIS). Poultry slaughtered in China is not currently allowed for sale in the U.S., but if it were to receive approval it would meet U.S. food safety standards, the agency said in a rare clarification issued this weekend in response to Schumer's comments. Poultry slaughtered in China is not currently allowed for sale in the U.S. But, said Schumer on Sunday, the USDA is getting ready to approve it. In 2010, China asked the USDA to review its poultry slaughter methods. FSIS must review such requests from foreign countries. But, in this case, the agency has not finalized the audit or released preliminary results. "If … [Read more...]
Food & Water Watch Responds to Jerky Treat Pet Illness Report
is responding to the FDA announcement that they are asking for the public's help in the mysterious illnesses apparently caused by pet jerky treats. This week, the government posted an update on the investigation admitting they don't understand what is going wrong, and giving veterinarians information about reporting cases. Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch, said in a statement, "we appreciate the new information the agency posted. But America's pets are still at risk from these potentially deadly treats. Today's update from the FDA showed a drop in reported illnesses since the decision by Nestle Purina and DelMonte in January to recall their chicken jerky dog treats produced in China. But the source of the problem has still not been identified. And there are … [Read more...]
Controversy Over Chinese Chicken in School Lunch Program
The USDA has responded to a controversy about serving processed chicken imported from China in the National School Lunch Program. A few days ago, Bettina Siegel of The Lunch Tray claimed that the USDA is misleading parents about whether those foods will be served to schoolchildren. A Q&A about China's poultry processing system equivalence on the FSIS website claims that chicken processed in China will not be included in school lunches, saying "the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service ensures that products included in school lunch programs are produced, raised, and processed only in the United States, its territories or possessions, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or the Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands." The problem is that school districts buy some of the food they … [Read more...]
Shuanghui Buyout of Smithfield Foods Approved
Shareholders just approved the buyout of Smithfield Foods by Shuanghui International of China. More than 96% of shareholders voted in favor. Smithfield executives will make millions on the sale, and the company will become private, which means it doesn't have to report details of its operations to the Security and Exchange Commission. Shuanghui is partially owned by Chinese businessmen and the U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs. Food & Water Watch released a statement about this buyout. Executive Director Wenonah Hauter said, "the recent USDA decision to allow processed chicken imports from China, coupled with news of the Smithfield-Shaunghui merger approval by shareholders and a federal review commission, shows that U.S. regulators are paving the way for meat imported from China - … [Read more...]
Senator Questions USDA About Safety of Meats from China
Last week, Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) questioned the USDA over the safety of meats imported to the U.S. from China and the adequacy of the food safety inspection program in that country. Earlier this month the USDA announced that meats processed in Chinese facilities will be allowed into American markets with no label indicating where they were processed. Brown said in a statement, "given the well-documented shortcoming of the Chinese food safety system, we shouldn't allow unmarked meat into our markets that is processed in Chinese facilities that are not subject to food safety inspections. This action could endanger the health and safety of American consumers and potentially undermines confidencee in our nation's food safety standards." The equivalency standard that was granted to … [Read more...]
