Raulken co.UK - FDA opens office in China

By Elizabeth Dalziel, AP By Calum MacLeod, USA TODAY BEIJING - As Americans consume more food prepared outside the United States, the US Food and Drug Administration opened its first overseas office Wednesday in China with others planned around the...

WASHINGTON -- Health authorities in Washington have slapped a sweeping detention order on dozens of imported foods from China. The unusual move by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration covers everything from snacks and drinks to chocolates and candies. Generally the FDA restricts such orders to just a few rogue manufacturers. By its says broader action is needed this time as a precaution to keep out foods contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine, which can cause serious kidney problems. Under the directive, FDA inspectors can hold foods made with milk ingredients at ports of entry until independent tests show they are melamine-free. The order also applies to pet foods and some bulk protein products. Essentially, the FDA action shifts the burden of proof to Chinese companies, which must now supply evidence that their products are safe. "The problem of melamine contamination in Chinese food products is a recurring one," said the FDA order, posted on the Internet. Unscrupulous companies in China have routinely watered down milk, then added melamine to artificially boost protein readings on quality tests. The practice became known after the Beijing Olympics this summer. It backfired when tens of thousands of Chinese children got sick with kidney problems after drinking contaminated infant formula. Nearly 13,000 children...
Click here to read the content (Source CTV.ca)