A Seattle Times news article reports that the Chinese factory implicated in the melamine contamination of north American pet food supplies has been closed by its owner without warning. Years of complains from citizens in Xuzhou who suffered from its pollution were ignored by the Chinese government, but when American FDA inspectors were dispatched to investigate the contamination incident the factory was shuttered and bulldozed almost overnight.
The investigation suggests that spiking protein products with melamine is a common practice in China, intended to boost the value of exports by misleading buyers (melamine give false readings in protein content tests). Thousands of pets died from this single incident. How long will it be before the USDA realizes that we cannot trust food imported from China? And how are American consumers to trust the FDA when it cannot even reliably inspect the domestic food supply?
This sounds like China-bashing: Taking a (relatively small) incident, and suggesting that it is a basis to stop food trade with China. And the bad thing is that poor Chinese farmers and workers would suffer. The best thing that China has going for it is cheap labor. If the US blocks their food, we prevent them from entering our market, and push them more towards unemployment and poverty.
ReplyDeleteSure it would be best if China had listened to complaints and not let it come to this, but stopping the farms and factories and ending jobs is not the answer.
By: The Big Right