Chinese made Mr. Cool toothpaste is displayed for the camera at the control and registry office of the Ministry of Health in San Jose, Costa Rica Friday May 25, 2007. China on Wednesday, May 23, said it was investigating reports that the toothpaste containing a potentially deadly chemical had been exported to Central America, the latest in a series of scandals involving tainted Chinese products. China is preparing to put in place its first recall system targeting unsafe food products, state media said Tuesday, May 29, 2007, amid growing international alarm over the quality of Chinese exports. (AP Photo/Kent Gilbert) Kent Gilbert: AP
Pet food ingredients, spiked with the chemical melamine and related compounds, have been blamed in the deaths of dogs and cats in North America. The U.S. government has stopped all Chinese toothpaste imports after reports that some products sold in Australia, the Dominican Republic and Panama were tainted with diethylene glycol, a chemical commonly used in antifreeze and brake fluid.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration also warned consumers not to buy or eat imported fish from China labeled as monkfish because it might actually be pufferfish, which contains a potentially deadly toxin called tetrodotoxin.
The warning came days after three southern U.S. states banned imports of catfish from China because they contained traces of antibiotics the FDA says have never been approved for use in aquaculture.
The China Daily also said that the State Food and Drug Administration, Zheng's agency, plans to blacklist food producers who break rules.
The administration launched a nationwide campaign Monday on drug safety inspection, sending a total of 90 officials to 15 provinces over the next two weeks, the newspaper said.
The Chinese leadership also has been battling a dismal food-safety record within the country. China's Health Ministry reported almost 34,000 food-related illnesses in 2005, with spoiled food accounting for the largest number.
According to The Outlook Weekly , a magazine published by the Chinese government's news agency, a survey by the quality inspection administration found that a third of China's 450,000 food production companies had no licenses
Also, 60 percent of the total did not conduct safety tests or have the capability to do so, the survey found.