US Calls On Chinese Exporters To Adopt New Food Safety Guidelines

The United States has recently called the attention of Chinese exporters to implement new food safety measures amidst claims that the exporters have been violating food safety standards.

Food safety became a major issue after Chinese exporters allegedly used melamine, an ingredient used in fertilizers and plastics, in one of their toothpaste products. The controversial product was mixed in pet food, instantly killing the animals. This prompted government officials to investigate the issue. Recently, US and Chinese officials met in consultative talks in order to iron out important issues regarding the matter. During the meeting, US officials presented some guidelines that the government wants to implement for their imports. Likewise, they identified Chinese firms licensed to export products to the United States.

Moreover, the United States wants further investigation on the alleged use of melamine as well as tainted toothpaste products that are shipped to Latin America and the Caribbean. For the record, China ranks second among exporters of toothpaste to the United States. For their part, China guaranteed that it would implement strict handling of food exports coming in to the country, particularly Beijing. This is in preparation for the city's hosting of the Olympic Games in 2008.

The previous head of the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) is now being tried after granting approval of untested medicines. Finally, China has pledged to exert all efforts in order to restore its integrity after causing fear brought about by the alleged poisonous products shipped by its exporters to other states.

Meanwhile, the growing clamor for the implementation of fresh food safety policies was a result of the killer banana that allegedly contains the dreaded SARS virus, which claimed millions of lives worldwide. Domestic banana producers have been greatly affected by the report, which local officials dubbed as "baseless." The total losses is pegged at 20 million yuans ($2.6 million) daily. This has stirred worldwide concern about the presence of melamine in pet foods and toothpaste products transported by Chinese exporters to neighboring countries.

In related events, the states of Alabama and Mississippi have recently prevented exporters from shipping catfish believed to contain the antibiotic fluoroquinolones. In defending themselves, Chinese exporters claimed that the product was allowed entry in China, Japan, and EU and passed the guidelines set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Likewise, 50 persons died in Panama in 2006 after drinking cough syrup with the chemical diethylene glycol, a substance used as a alternative for glycerin, that came from China.