China's Tainted Food Exports

China's unsafe food export practices are a major global trade concern.

Christopher Bodeen's article Tainted-food exports a global worry (Toronto Star, Associated Press, April 13, 2007) reveals that Canada and the United States have increased agricultural imports from China by nearly 20-fold over the past 25 years.

Headlines scream out that pet food contaminated with rat poison is killing beloved pet cats and dogs through kidney failure. Canadian pet food maker Menu Foods is forced to recall 60 million cans, and faces countless lawsuits.

In international trade, China looks to lose a big part of its US$2.3 billion agricultural food exports to its major North American trade partners. Although China is trying to improve inspections of its exports, so far success has been mixed.

Shipments from China to America were rejected at a rate of 200 per month in 2007, more than any country. This number is more startling when we consider that the U.S. only inspects a tiny percentage of the millions of shipments from China each year.

Inspections, testing and substantial trade penalties must be imposed before China will focus less on profits and more on compliance with global trade standards.

Or is it only a matter of time before humans perish from gluten imported from China and added to processed food that ends up on our store shelves?