Thread: Companies in U.S. Increase Testing of Chinese Goods

July 1, 2007


Companies in U.S. Increase Testing of Chinese Goods

By NELSON D. SCHWARTZ


[b]General Mills, Kellogg, Toys “Râ€

Stop buying crap from China!!!!!

Dixie Cups are still made in America!

Dixie

We bought a chaise lounge cushion today MADE IN THE USA!

The sock industry still has a stronghold in America. I bought some the ofther day for my son's. MADE IN THE USA.

I'm very worried about the food additives! They may be poisoning the USA and the whole world for that matter.

I'm glad to see companies with fear of losing their good name be proactive and test their food additives.

We should boycott the Olympics! There have been too many violations!!

Are these poisoned goods going to other countries? (or just US?)

It's a worldwide problem. I've heard complaints below from Japan, and recently something in the Netherlands.


China calls for reason as food safety fears mount



By Langi Jiang

Updated: 4:50 a.m. ET June 29, 2007

BEIJING - Under pressure after a U.S. move against Chinese seafood and a huge recall of Chinese toothpaste in Japan, Beijing urged trade partners on Friday to accept its products unless they violate contract terms or local regulations.

China also announced the appointment of a new health minister, a Paris-trained scientist and only the second non-Party member to be named to a ministerial post since the 1970s, but gave no reason for the change.

Intense global scrutiny of the safety of Chinese exports has been spurred by the discovery of contaminated food, dangerous chemicals in pet food and medicines and lead paint on toys.



At home, China has announced crackdowns on fake medicines and unsafe food. Earlier this year, the head of the food and drug watchdog agency was sentanced to death for corruption.

"In principle, if you don't find (any problem), Chinese goods should be allowed to be exported," said Wang Xinpei, a ministry spokesman in Beijing.

"Businessmen have already signed contracts based on mutual trust. They must have included terms of quality and usage in their contracts. Only if the shipments violated these terms or the importing country's quarantine rules should they be stopped. Otherwise, they should be accepted."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Thursday it would not allow imports of Chinese farm-raised seafood unless suppliers could prove the shipments contained no harmful residue.

China is the largest producer of farmed fish, handling 50 percent of the total value of global aquaculture seafood exports around the world. It is also the third-largest exporter of seafood to the United States.

The U.S. ambassador also met with the head of China's quarantine administration to press for a reopening of China's markets to American beef imports, suspended since 2003 due to an outbreak of mad cow disease.

FISH, TOOTHPASTE

U.S. regulators have been meeting with China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine at least since May over catfish, after the states of Alabama and Mississippi -- both major producers -- banned imports of the fish, citing high levels of fluoroquinolones, an antibiotic.

Inspectors have continued to find residues of veterinary drugs and food additives not permitted for use in the United States in farmed fish products, an FDA official said.

The FDA said there was no immediate threat to public safety because of the low levels of the substances in farmed catfish, shrimp and other seafood, but health problems could develop if the items were consumed over long periods of time.

The Ministry of Commerce spokesman said China applied international standards and quarantine procedures to food exports.

He had no immediate comment on whether the ministry was addressing the latest concerns from the United States.

In a separate case, nine Japanese companies are recalling Chinese-made toothpaste found to contain diethylene glycol, an industrial solvent, at concentrations as high as 8.5 percent.

Millions of small tubes of the toothpaste were packaged with a toothbrush and sold to hotels throughout the country, a Japanese Health Ministry official said on Friday. One firm alone is seeking to recall three million tubes.

Regulators in Hong Kong, Singapore, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and the United States have warned of toothpaste contaminated with diethylene glycol. The substance was responsible for at least 100 deaths in Panama after it was mixed into cough syrup.

China has launched a crackdown on unsafe food and medicines.

The Beijing News said on Friday the latest steps included seeking feedback from citizens about a new regulation banning toxic nitrates in restaurants, and fining food makers up to 500,000 yuan ($66,000) for problematic products.

Beijing has also banned 10 types of medicine, charging producers wilfully exaggerated their effects on high blood pressure, diabetes and skin problems and seriously misled consumers, the paper reported.

($1=7.614 yuan)

(Additional reporting by Niu Shuping and Vivi Lin and by George Nishiyama in Tokyo)




http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19435558/

This is also related. If we knew what was good for the USA, we would not be trading with our enemy!


Tainted Chinese goods could lead to trade war
American like cheap prices, but toy, food contamination raise fears


Updated: 6:25 p.m. ET June 28, 2007
WASHINGTON - From tainted pet food to lead-painted toy trains, a string of recalled Chinese-made goods threatens to tarnish the Made in China label in the United States and intensify calls for trade protection.

Americans love a bargain and it will take a lot for them to give up the Chinese-made toys, furniture, clothing, food, cosmetics, appliances and other goods that fill discount store shelves — and increasingly the upscale chains too.

But there are signs that China trade sentiment is souring: in Congress, on the editorial pages of U.S. newspapers, and even in a new advertisement criticizing retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for its heavy reliance on Chinese imports.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Quality is one thing, safety is a different matter, and if we continue to hear this drumbeat of safety (problems), that could clearly impact consumers' perception of goods made in China," said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at Harris Private Bank in Chicago.

If the next case of tainted goods proves deadly, that may be all it takes to trigger a trade tussle.

Trade relations with China already are fraught, with some on Capitol Hill arguing that China has an unfair advantage because its yuan currency is undervalued, making its exports more affordable here. They want the administration to take tougher action.

The U.S. trade deficit with China hit a record $233 billion in 2006 and has continued to swell this year.

"The Chinese better take heed and crack down hard (on faulty goods) now or they will be faced with anti-Chinese trade legislation soon," said Andrew Busch, global foreign-exchange strategist with BMO Capital Markets in Chicago.

As its exports soar, China has stockpiled more than $1 trillion in U.S. assets, leading some lawmakers and economists to warn that the U.S. economy would be vulnerable if China decided to dump dollars in the event of a trade war.

Many on Wall Street dismiss such concerns as far-fetched, arguing that China's investments would also lose considerable value if the country purged assets.

Mickey Levy, chief economist with Bank of America, told a congressional hearing that such fears were "misplaced."

But some lawmakers see the massive U.S. trade gap as reason to pressure China on its currency and trade policies, and several senators, including New York Democrat Charles Schumer, have used the string of recalls to bolster their case.

Trade imbalances may not be a hot topic around the dinner table, but lead-painted Thomas the Tank Engine trains probably are, and that could dampen consumer sentiment, slow demand for Chinese imports, and boost support for trade restrictions.

In addition to the Thomas trains, well-publicized problems with tainted pet food that killed dozens of animals, and toothpaste laced with a dangerous chemical have made Chinese quality concerns front-page news.

Merrill Weingrod, head of China Strategies, which advises companies on doing business with China, said testing and regulations had improved in the past 20 years but the country was clearly facing a "public relations nightmare."

"This is going to play against China in the larger political picture," Weingrod said. "It fuels the anti-China lobby. The next time senators want to bring up protectionist trade regulations, they'll get a sympathetic hearing."

Chinese authorities have taken steps to tighten oversight, shutting down 180 domestic food manufacturers during the past six months for making substandard food or using inedible materials for food production, state media said this week.

But on Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it would detain imports of Chinese farm-raised catfish, shrimp and other seafood to make sure they were free from potentially harmful residues.

Earlier this week, U.S. transportation officials told a New Jersey
importer to recall some 450,000 Chinese-made truck tires that were missing a safety feature. Four senators sent a letter to President George W. Bush, urging him to investigate how the defective tires were sold here.

The mood seems to be darkening outside Washington, too.


A recent editorial in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper said China was literally "poisoning trade with the United States."


"No country has an unblemished record on food and consumer product safety. But the evidence suggests China's manufacturers are more careless, callous or unethical than other trading partners," the paper said in the June 22 editorial.

Anti-China sentiment is also finding its way into a television advertisement that debuted on Wednesday, sponsored by a union-funded group called WakeUpWalMart.com that has been a vocal opponent of the retailer.

The ad points out that money spent at Wal-Mart enriches China, home to many Wal-Mart suppliers, and then it takes the rhetoric one giant step further.

"China ships weapons to the terrorists in Afghanistan," the ad says. "Weapons the terrorists use to attack our troops. So before you shop at Wal-Mart, think about that. This July 4th, be a patriot."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19489213/

Haven't shopped at Wal-Mart in over a year or so. Don't need them.

This crisis may play well for us, in some capacity, to stop trading with China. Another monkey wrench in the NAU. On Lou Dobbs they were talking about repealing NAFTA or renegotiating the terms of these treaties for the benefit of American people.

Originally Posted by Dixie

Stop buying crap from China!!!!!

Dixie Cups are still made in America!

Dixie

Exactly!

Dixie must be rich!