I've added blog feeds of Mulchblog and Marglerblog to FreshTalk. Of course you know Bill Marler, the oft-quoted and well-spoken Seattle lawyer specializing in foodborne illness cases.
As farm bill issues heat up - particularly conservation issues - you will find insight from Ken Cook's Mulchblog. Cook is associated with the Environmental Working Group, of the farm subsidy database fame.
Created by The Packer's National Editor Tom Karst
May 17, Reuters — China food scare threatens exports as test costs soar. Foreign buyers of
ReplyDeleteChinese food are asking for safety tests following the melamine pet food debacle, threatening
the country's competitive position in a wide range of markets, including organic ingredients.
Industry officials said U.S. and other firms had demanded a certificate that farm products were
free of melamine. Their comments came after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration team
visited China to investigate how melamine, a chemical product, got into pet food, killing at
least 16 pets in the U.S. and leading to a recall of more than 100 brands of pet food. Costs for
such safety checks are expected to soar, especially as it would take time for the country to build
up reliable nationwide quality controls. Industry officials said Japan, which accounts for about a
quarter of China's farm product exports, had also recommended importers check for melamine
in Chinese products. "The safety tests for raw materials are likely to get tougher," said a senior
official from a Japanese food processing plant in China. "Eventually they could demand
traceability similar to that for non−GMO products ... which would raise costs. Given higher
costs and credibility, there's a question if you would still want to buy raw materials from
China."
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSHKG29012520070 517