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Food for Thought on Chinese Imports

By Pritzker | Ruohonen

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations has announced that two Chinese nationals and the businesses they operate, along with a U.S. company and its president and CEO, were indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a scheme to import products purported to be wheat gluten into the United States that were contaminated with melamine. These products were used to make pet food.

Was the contamination caught before pets were sickened? We all know the answer: by the time the contamination was discovered, hundreds of pets reportedly died or became seriously ill.

The FDA was notified of the problem on March 15, 2007:  

On March 15, 2007, a pet food manufacturer alerted FDA to the deaths of 14 cats and dogs, several reported by consumers and several that died during routine taste trials conducted by the company. The animals were reported to have developed kidney failure after eating pet food that had been manufactured with the purported wheat gluten. 

The first recalls associated with the contamination were initiated on March 16, 2007. Two manufacturers recalled some canned and small foil pouch “wet” cat and dog food. The extent of the contamination was slowly uncovered, and the last recall related to the contamination was initiated on May 31, 2007.

What does this have to do with food safety? Some food for thought:

• Consumers are unwittingly eating products made in China every day. In the last decade, China has become the world's leading supplier of many food flavorings, vitamins and preservatives. In fact, some food additives are available in vast quantities only from China. It is now the predominant maker of vanilla flavoring, citric acid and varieties of vitamin B such as thiamine, riboflavin and folic acid — nutrients commonly added to processed flour goods. (Los Angeles Times)
  
• The FDA is investigating a possible intentional contamination of heparin by a Chinese plant. Over 80 people are dead and over 700 people had serious adverse reactions. As a result Baxter Healthcare initiated a Baxter heparin recall involving all of its heparin products. A food product could just as easily be intentionally contaminated.
• If a contaminated product enters the U.S. food supply, it will take time to discover the contamination and even more time for all of the affected products to be recalled and pulled off of the shelves.  Months after a recent recall of canned goods due to possible botulism contamination, health officials found recalled products on the shelves of some small stores.
  
• The FDA’s answer to the real danger of contamination of products manufactured in China is 13 FDA employees in China. FDA has announced it may establish foreign offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and send 13 employees to work there. That is like kissing a gaping wound to make it feel better.

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on May 28, 2008 (boomark / email).