Pet-food recall: China OKs U.S. inspectors
By Gina Spadafori
April 24, 2007
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From the New York Times, via the password-free International Herald Tribune:
China on Monday gave American regulators permission to enter the country to investigate whether Chinese suppliers exported contaminated pet food ingredients to the United States earlier this year, leading to one of the largest pet food recalls in American history.
Representatives of the United States Food and Drug Administration had been blocked from entering China, despite growing evidence that the tainted pet food that killed at least 16 cats and dogs and sickened thousands of other animals in the United States originated with Chinese exporters of wheat gluten and other animal feed ingredients.
The FDA confirmed Monday that it has now opened a criminal investigation into the pet food scandal, but the agency did not name the target or say whether any American companies may have intentionally laced animal feed with banned ingredients. On Tuesday, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce is scheduled to hold hearings on how to secure the safety of the country’s food supply.
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The pet food scandal could seriously harm United States-China trade relations if it was determined that Chinese companies had intentionally altered food ingredients. And even if the contamination was unintentional, the scandal could cast a pall over imports of food or feed ingredients from China, where food safety measures are widely believed to be lax.
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You can bet the Chinese communist party has vetted or is in the process of making sure no traces of wrongdoing are found. Their initial refusal to allow an investigation, considering China is the USA’s biggest trading “partner”, is cause for alarm.
Comment by Frank — April 24, 2007 @ 6:54 am
I don’t know why the FDA is bothering to go to China. The Chinese will have “cleaned up” any evidence by now. As far as talking to Chinese workers, these people are well-trained by their supervisors in how to lie. This has been well documented in the past.
Comment by Lynn — April 24, 2007 @ 6:55 am
In Chinese society, everyone lies. It’s acceptable and it is in many instances expected. You expect it from the Chinese government, and from Chinese businessmen.
Comment by Steve — April 24, 2007 @ 7:11 am
Way too late to matter. Completely unacceptable. Goes w/o saying that any evidence of something that “had nothing to do with China” and “did not happen” is gone (or, more likely just moved to an unknown and off limits forbidden location). Even if they do inspect 1-2 already suspect locations, there are thousands more and new ones evey day. Means nothing whatsoever.
However, Mrs. Sally Qing Miller was trained as an inspector in China. Put her under oath. i want to hear her lie under oath.
Comment by 4ldgriend — April 24, 2007 @ 7:32 am
Meaningless. Tainted product will simply be moved to an off limits forbidden location (any among thousands or new ones that spring up daily).
But Mrs. Sally Qing Miller was trained and certified as an inspector IN CHINA.
PUT HER UNDER OATH. I WANT TO HEAR HER LIE UNDER OATH.
Comment by 4lgdfriend — April 24, 2007 @ 7:35 am
Scrub-a-dub-dub! Not a trace will be found. Why do you think we were barred from getting visas at first?
Squeaky clean grain storage silos and piping! It was done by a U.S. wheat company 22 years ago.
BAN ALL FOOD, FOOD INGREDIENTS, and pharmaceuticals FROM CHINA NOW!
Comment by petlover — April 24, 2007 @ 7:48 am
Quote:
BAN ALL FOOD, FOOD INGREDIENTS, and pharmaceuticals FROM CHINA NOW!
Comment by petlover
End quote
That would be one idea.
The better idea is - as a consumer - to *not buy* anything that has ‘Made in China’ on it (but explain to everybody why you don’t buy it); to relentlessly ask shop managers and supervisors if the product or ingredients of same originated in China or has been imported from China; to swamp (pet) food manufacturers with calls and emails about the origin of their wares and be a total pain in the buttocks.
That will get the industries attention in a hurry. Has repercussions to the economy - which gets our lawmakers’ attention in a hurry.
Do that for three weeks and -pooof- magically there will be a reaction from the industry as well as from the government.
Comment by MaKo — April 24, 2007 @ 8:04 am
Boston Tea Party Time.
Comment by 4lgdfriend — April 24, 2007 @ 8:09 am
MAKO: swamp (pet) food manufacturers with calls and emails about the origin of their wares and be a total pain in the buttocks.
That will get the industries attention in a hurry. Has repercussions to the economy - which gets our lawmakers’ attention in a hurry.
ONLY IF IT GETS MEDIA ATTENTION. OTHERWISE IT IS SILENT. AND SILENCED.
Comment by 4lgdfriend — April 24, 2007 @ 8:11 am
To 4lgdfriend:
If thousands upon thousands upon tens of thousands of Americans vote with their wallets, *that will get the media’s attention*.
Secondly, it will get the industry’s attention: they don’t care about a bubblehead beachblonde with sentimentality dripping from her voice - they care about profit. Take the profit away from them, and in order to survive they have to do what we want. If not, they’re out of business.
ps: please don’t yell at me :)
Thanks
Comment by MaKo — April 24, 2007 @ 8:18 am
I am a firm believer in voting “with your wallet”. I refuse to go to Walmart because of their blatant discrimination against women and minorities. I have been saying from the beginning that we should avoid all pet food companies that have any kind of relationship with Menu Foods. But this current situation is so out of hand. As I have learned since Natural Balance was recalled, even when companies claim to use ingredients produced in the US, it’s not always true. I would love to buy only US produced food, but often the labels don’t reflect the origination of the products. It’s going to be very difficult, but I for one, am going to try.
Comment by Joyce — April 24, 2007 @ 9:17 am
Big waste of time to go to China now. All the evidence, filth, contamination, poisons gone.
FDA and US govt should make it real easy for us and take the route that South Africa did. Ban all “ingredients” food or medicinal or vitamin, from China. This way, we poor humans will have a little less worries about what we consume and more importantly, I personally won’t have to say a prayer every time I feed my cats.
I have spent more time searching for what I hope and think will be safe for them, these past 2 weeks, than I’ve done in my lifetime. It’s for sure that AAFCO and the PFI recommendations mean NOTHING to me and hopefully to you all. We are best served to hurt them all in their pocketbooks and I for one would rather deal with a small honest American manufacturer than the Menu and P&G slobs.
Comment by Peg — April 24, 2007 @ 9:18 am
Oh and hey, I forgot. What exactly is Homeland Security doing about this?
Much as I didn’t care for Bernie Kerik as NYC Police Commish, I thought he would have been a better choice to head the agency, than the one that’s in there now.
Comment by Peg — April 24, 2007 @ 9:24 am
Why does the United States trust China a Communist Country? This is not Homeland Security? Our Government is not looking out for our Best Interests just their own. Unfortunatley they make the deals while we suffer. We will be the ones to suffer because of their own greed and corruption. I think we all should say a prayer for all of us because we are doomed if our Government can’t see the writing on the wall.
Comment by Georgeann Heckman — April 24, 2007 @ 3:00 pm
Realistically, I don’t think the dumbbels in this country will ever stop importing from China. In fact, the Corridor is starting up to bring MORE imports from China.
Comment by Gary — April 24, 2007 @ 3:49 pm
Voting with your wallet won’t be easy. It is hard to determine where ingreients come from (and even finished products). Many times the label only lists manufactered for Company x and a US address or distributed by and a US address.
Yesterday I went to Tractor Supply. I asked if they knew where the Beet pulp they sell came from. I asked if it was imported. She said she was not sure, but it probably was. Then she said, practically all the feed they sell is either imported or contains imported ingredients, even the corn. I asked if any of it came from China. She said yes.
We import way mor4e food ingredients from China than most of us ever even thought about.
Comment by betty — April 25, 2007 @ 6:59 am
It’s enough knowing that our Government has O.K’d the poisonous gluten that we so lovingly feed to our pets in the U.S., and now it’s my question as to the FDA and what they are feeding the people of the U.S. What foods are we eating that contain vegetable protein (Soy), Gluten, Flour and what else is going to be feed to us before we humans end up on a slab of marble. There are so many viruses going around it seems it’s all year long that I am wondering if it is something in our food that we are eating, something like flour, gluten, and soy protein which we use alot in our ready to eat processed foods and is weakening our immune system. I wonder about China’s population and why they didn’t have resistance to the Bird Flu, I wonder about their immune systems and about their flour and soy protein being contaminated.
I feel scared now to even trust in our FDA, we have trusted in the FDA for years and in our life time. It seems a bit shaddy even in an insidence that happened two years ago when our flu vacine was contaminated in South Hampton, England. Why does the FDA sacrafice and put our lives in danger, what are we but a few laboratory rats?
Stop China now, and any other country from poisining the US!
Comment by Denise Tate — April 25, 2007 @ 4:20 pm
I agree with asking companies if any ingredients come from China. I have done it with my pet food companies. It gets the message across like no other.
Comment by Sophia — May 5, 2007 @ 6:08 pm