The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a joint expert meeting titled Application of Nanotechnologies in the Food and Agriculture Sectors: Potential Food Safety Implications, to be held June 1-5, 2009, in Rome, Italy. The gathering will reportedly address the potential food safety risks that may arise from nanoparticles, particularly in the areas of (i) nanotechnology applications in plant and animal food production; and (ii) nanotechnology applications in food processing, packaging and distribution.
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Chinese legislators this week passed a new food safety law that consolidates hundreds of regulations, imposes stricter penalties for safety violations and establishes a national commission based in the Ministry of Health to monitor the food and beverage industry, improve standards and authorize product recalls. Effective June 1, 2009, the law will also hold celebrities liable for endorsing faulty products; require farmers to abide by stricter rules pertaining to pesticides, fertilizers, veterinary drugs, and feed additives; and implement record-keeping requirements for farmers raising crops and livestock for human consumption. Loopholes in the Chinese food safety system attracted international attention last year when melamine-tainted infant formula produced by the state-owned Sanlu Group dairy sickened thousands of children. “At present, China’s food security situation remains grim, with high risks and contradictions popping out,” the ministry stated in a press release. See Marler Blog, March 1, 2009. The new law has already drawn criticism…
The Chinese government has reportedly published its first official list of food additives that are prohibited in the domestic food supply. The list includes 17 acids, chemicals and other substances–such as formaldehyde, boric acid and sodium thiocyanate–used to improve the appearance, texture or longevity of food products. In addition, the country’s regulators have warned of raids on high-risk companies that have thus far failed to address their own safety problems. “These lists . . . cannot cover all problems linked to illegally adding substances in food and abusing additives in the industry,” stated the Chinese health ministry, which this month launched a food safety initiative to increase consumer confidence. See AFP, December 16, 2008.
China has reportedly estimated that nearly 300,000 infants were sickened and six died after ingesting melamine-tainted formula linked to kidney stones and renal failure. The government has increased the number of illnesses six-fold from its first calculations and doubled the death toll as the Health Ministry investigated fatalities purportedly involving infant formula. “The new figures are more realistic and objective than previous figures,” said one Beijing lawyer who represents several families seeking compensation and is considering the creation of a public fund for victims. “I assume the government is worried about the situation of the dairies and is afraid the companies may fall if they have to pay compensation amid the current financial crisis. The government may be worrying about the interests of the companies first.” See Associated Press, December 2, 2008. In a related development, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently updated its safety assessment for melamine and…
The Chinese government has reportedly arrested the owner of a poultry feed operation implicated in a nationwide scandal involving melamine-tainted animal products. The manufacturer apparently confessed to using the industrial chemical in 212 tons of chicken feed sold to Dalian Hanovo Enterprise Group, which then distributed adulterated eggs to Chinese consumers. The government also destroyed an additional 75 tons of contaminated feed seized from the owner as part of its crackdown on the widespread practice of adding melamine to feed and dairy products to artificially boost protein counts. State media sources have indicated that inspectors have shuttered 238 illegal farms and 130 dairy farms since melamine-laden infant formula first sickened thousands of children. The scandal has closed approximately 20 percent of China’s dairy industry. See What Not To Eat: Marion Nestle, November 12, 2008. Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has apparently issued a detention order for milk-containing products imported…
The Chinese government has reportedly deployed 369,000 inspectors in a nationwide crackdown on melamine-tainted animal feed. Regulators apparently destroyed more than 3,600 tons of animal feed and shuttered 239 feed operations after food safety tests revealed that eggs in three provinces contained high levels of the industrial plasticizer, which some unscrupulous manufacturers use as an artificial filler in animal feed. In September, melamine-laced infant formula also sickened more than 50,000 infants, prompting an international recall and widespread concerns about Chinese food exports. Nestle SA has since sent 20 research specialists to its Beijing center to strengthen food testing protocols for melamine and other chemicals. “It is illegal for any individual or any enterprise to add melamine into feed, and we will crack down uncompromisingly on melamine,” said Wang Zhicai, director of the animal husbandry and livestock bureau at the Agriculture Ministry. See Bloomberg.com, October 31, 2008; The New York Times, November 1…
According to a news source, the Chinese press is reporting that melamine is commonly used in animal feed “to reduce product costs while maintaining protein count for quality inspections.” The Nanfang Daily apparently calls the practice an “open secret” in the industry. Unnamed industry analysts reportedly said that such news reports constitute “an unusual departure for Chinese officials” and amount to a tacit admission that the scandal, which has affected a range of food products in recent months from milk to eggs, could affect even more parts of the food supply chain. U.S. food safety officials reportedly indicated some months ago that melamine detected in livestock feed did not pose a threat to human health. Details about their conclusions appear in issue 213 of this Update. See BBC News, October 31, 2008.
The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) recently released a Responsible Children’s Marketing Initiative in response to “community concerns about food and beverage advertising during children’s television programs.” AFGC developed the initiative after the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) published its draft Children’s Television Standards 2008, which did not recommend further government regulation of food and beverage advertising. In agreement with these preliminary findings, AFGC nevertheless stated that industry “is still keen to address community concerns regarding advertising to children.” The initiative covers advertising on free-to-air television, pay television and the Internet; the use of licensed characters; and promotions in children’s publications. Companies that publicly commit to the program must institute an action plan focused on six core areas: (i) advertising messaging; (ii) the use of popular personalities and licensed characters; (iii) product placement; (iv) the use of products in interactive games; (v) advertising in schools; and (vi) the…
According to news sources, the United Nations released a report October 22, 2008, calling on China to overhaul its system of food-safety regulation. The World Health Organization’s top food-safety official claimed that the country’s recent tainted-milk scandal was a result of individuals who “exploited weaknesses” in the regulatory system, which is “dispersed” among too many agencies and governmental levels. The U.N. urged the government to streamline its laws, make them tougher and regulate food products from farm to fork. A local spokesperson said that the U.N. stood ready to work closely with Chinese officials on reforming the law. The report apparently urges the Chinese government to shift more responsibility to food companies by requiring them to institute risk-management programs that can be audited by government inspectors. Released just as the standing committee of the National People’s Congress was preparing to discuss the draft of a new food-safety law that will,…
Japanese health officials have reportedly warned consumers that particular lots of frozen green beans imported from China are tainted with the organophosphate insecticide dichlorvos, resulting in the illness of at least three people. Residents of Kashiwa in the Chiba Prefecture experienced mouth numbness, vomiting and other symptoms after eating adulterated beans manufactured by Shandong-based Yantai Beihai Foodstuff Co. and sold in Japan under the Ingen brand. Japanese regulators stated that the beans contained 6,900 parts per million of the pesticide, or approximately 34,000 times the legal limit. At this level, a 132- pound person would feel acute symptoms if she consumed just 0.07 gram of the product, according to officials. Quarantine authorities have since halted all food imports originating with the company, urging retailers to pull 265 tons of the frozen beans from shelves pending an investigation. The ministry also noted that it was willing to work with Beijing to resolve…
