Posted on 06/24/2007 6:55:34 AM PDT by JACKRUSSELL
Increasing food imports from China could pose a risk to public health in Sweden, according to the food products governing body.
During the first five months of the year, Sweden's National Food Administration (Livsmedelsverket) was made aware of 138 cases within the EU of food imported from China that was not fit for consumption. By the same time last year the figure had reached 88.
Examples included food containing banned colouring, antibiotics, preservatives or pesticides. There were also cases of illegally imported, unclean or foul-smelling food, as well as products with high levels of heavy metals, poisonous mould and dioxins, reported Svenska Dagbladet.
The rise is said to highlight the disadvantages of food products being checked at the EU's outer borders. Tests for additives such as vitamins and minerals are rare.
"There's no doubt that food imports from China are a big problem," said Helena Storbjörk at the National Food Administration.
"We have good checks for animal imports from China, which are largely banned, and a far-reaching programme of checks for a whole range of vegetables. Unfortunately there's a lot of illegal importing which avoids all the controls," she said.
According to the National Food Administration there have been no cases reported in Sweden.
Thanks Jack for staying on this.
Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks announced a stop sale order in the state for all catfish from China after antibiotics banned in the United States were found in Chinese catfish.
Sparks said 20 samples of catfish from China were collected for testing by the department of agriculture over the last few weeks. Of those samples, 14 tested positive for fluoroquinolones, an antibiotic banned by the FDA since 1997.
What about the food at Walmart?
“What about the food at Walmart?”
Don’t ask.
Fermented bean curds with red pepper. Nasty, nasty, nasty. You can only get it in little Chinese food markets. It’s in the isle where the jars tend to leak and blow up from the continued fermentation. It’s probably the only thing from China I would ever want to buy. Nasty, but great for dipping chicken and turkey. Nasty!
Bump and thanks for the ping.
Oh, yummy.
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