China and the Food Supply: The Ugly Story of China’s Culture of Corruption

Peace and Freedom - Policy and World Ideas ^ | May 8, 2007 | John E. Carey

[Lou L]

China and the Food Supply: The Ugly Story of China’s Culture of Corruption

By John E. Carey
Peace and Freedom
May 8, 2007

SARS. Bird flu. Contaminated dog food. Contaminated pharmaceuticals. Chickens held off the market. Pigs dying.

“Food fear” is real. There is and should be real fear about the way China, or at least many Chinese firms involved, handle their responsibilities in food and feed manufacturing and development.

Every once in a while a journalist gets to go back into the archieves and find something that was “relevant then and even more important now”.

On Sunday, May 4, 2003, The Washington Times published an article I wrote about SARS. To refresh the memory, SARS is Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

That May 2003 piece was titled “China’s Ham-Handed SARS Response: Omen of The Future In Disease Control?”

The following are some of the quotes or “out takes” from that 2003 essay:

“China is a particularly dangerous nation when envisioning the future of viral infections.”

“It seems as if the Chinese were very slow to react once people started to get sick and die ….. It might have taken the Chinese government two months to even admit that there was a problem.”

[hedgetrimmer]

PING

[Spunky]

This is getting scary.

[mom4kittys]

[null and void]

Peace and Freedom - Policy and World Ideas???

As in the commie and so called “peace an Freedom” Party???

[kjhm]

FDA web page has a list of shipments that are rejected each month;
the following is a sample of rejected shipments from China for the month of April.
Dalian Minghua Seafoods Co., Ltd.
Dalian CN-21, CN 116015 LOS-DO 530-0247500-1/1/1
16EGT05 FROZEN IQF BAY SCALLOPS
11-APR-2007 FILTHY

Quingdao Jiarong Food Co., Ltd.
Qingdao , CN SEA-DO 471-0072306-4/1/1
16AGT12 2600 CARTON FROZEN PACIFIC COD 1/2 OZ, 2/4 OZ
11-APR-2007 FILTHY
FALSE
TRANSFAT

Fujian Dongshan Haikui Aquatic Products Group Co., Ltd.
Fj , CN LOS-DO HE8-0083149-8/2/1
16EGT99 FROZEN GEODUCK FILLET
11-APR-2007 LIST INGRE
LACKS FIRM
LACKS N/C
USUAL NAME
NUTRIT LBL

[Neoliberalnot]

The outside world doesn’t know the half of what goes on in the Chinese Food Supply Chain. Having a safe food supply is quite low on the radar screen (near background) of the Chicoms. The latest petfood thing is nothing but a giant scam by marketers of protein sources for animal feeds.

[Eyes Unclouded]

You know not that they would ever do this on purpose... you know maybe to test out how far a contamination could get... you know not like its a dry run for a dump on our human food products... nah not the chicomms. They're our buddies in this new world order take your tinfoil hats off and enjoy the cheaper prices!

[Wolfie]

The Senate just blocked cheap drug imports because the FDA cannot verify their safety. Not holding my breath waiting for Congress to do the same to the Chinese.

[Old_Mil]

The Senate just blocked cheap drug imports because the FDA cannot verify their safety. Not holding my breath waiting for Congress to do the same to the Chinese.

Actually, this is incorrect. What was blocked was the ability of US consumers to buy drugs retail from overseas (primarily Canadian) pharmacies. Many drugs these days (like other things) are manufactured in China and other third world countries using third world standards (hence the recent find of antifreeze in cough syrup). These drugs are sent to the countries in question like China and the US for distribution. Today's action merely protected the profits of US distributors. It's still legal for distributors to import cheap drugs from the third world.

[PGalt]

Outstanding article by John E. Carey. Thanks for posting.

[sweetiepiezer]

Scary is right. Thanks for the ping.

[ThisLittleLightofMine]

What American do not realize is China’s standards as well as many other nations are not our standards. Most Americans have never left their borders. I think most would be shocked to really see how the rest of the world really lives.

[Wolfie]

Then I guess the only conclusion we can reach is that Congress is ok with potentially dangerous foreign drugs, as long as the pharmaceutical industry is making maximum profit on them.

[null and void]

Then I guess the only conclusion we can reach is that Congress is ok with potentially dangerous foreign drugs, as long as the pharmaceutical industry is making maximum profit on them.

and continue to make huge campaign contributions from those profits...

[AuntB]

The Senate just blocked cheap drug imports because the FDA cannot verify their safety.

Pretty ironic, eh?

[JRochelle]

Be aware that there are foods such as canned pineapple and canned mandarian oranges that are labeled ‘product of China.’

Mitsubishi corporation is a huge distributer of foods from China.

[Neoliberalnot]

I don’t know what you call huge profits, but most drug companies make about 8-10% profits. If you know of any that make way over the top, please inform me as I will consider purchase of said stock.

[null and void]

8-10%? I’ll buy that as an accurate figure.

What is that in meaningful units, i.e. DOLLARS?

[Xenalyte]

To refresh the memory, SARS is Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

So what's the first S for?