Food from China under attack in testimony before US Congress

Food imported from China. (Shutterstock / Robert Kneschke )

Mark Kastel, co-director and senior farm policy analyst with the Cornucopia Institute stated during his testimony that: “…many in this country, for good reason, based on history, do not trust the Chinese to supply ingredients for our dog and cat food. Why should we trust Chinese exporters for the food that we are feeding our children and families?”

He added that, despite some food from China being labelled as organic by the USDA, it does not necessarily meet the standards of US organic food, as certifiers are unable to personally inspect Chinese farms. He also added that many Chinese food producers have been caught using fraudulent organic certificates, far more than any other country.

He further decried the fact that so little of the food imported into the US is actually inspected, and yet despite the low inspection rates, issues with food imported from China are commonplace.

“USDA and FDA inspectors are only examining 1%-2% of all the food that reaches U.S. ports. And what are they finding? A disproportionate number of serious problems with exports from China including adulteration with unapproved chemicals, dyes, pesticides, and outright fraud (fake food).”
Patty Lovera, Assistant Director of Food & Water Watch was equally harsh in her criticism of Chinese-produced food before the committee. She stated that “China’s food manufacturers (have) often (been) found to cut corners and substitute dangerous ingredients to boost sales.”

She also referenced a recent report by a food industry analyst, saying that “the report cited 32 pesticides found in laboratory testing of Chinese foods, mostly in produce, fruit, and spices and noted that ‘economically motivated adulteration’ is a persistent issue in food production in China.”


The testimony before congress came just weeks before Chinese meat processor Shuanghui International Holdings agreed to purchase the top pork producer in the world, America’s Smithfield Foods, for US$4.7 billion late last month. If approved, the deal would be the largest ever acquisition of an American company by a Chinese firm.

That deal is now under review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a committee comprised of members from nine different US governmental agencies, including the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security. The committee reviews foreign investment deals that could have an impact on US national security. While the committee itself does not have the power to block deals, it can recommend to the US president that he do so.

Despite the existence of some angst over Chinese influence becoming more prevalent in the American food industry, some experts don’t expect the CFIUS to raise any red flags over the deal, citing the fact that the food industry isn’t necessarily an industry of high national security concerns, like a technology or military-related takeover.

"I think they'll clear it," Paul Marquardt of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton told USA Today. "I would be very surprised if this raised the kind of issues that CFIUS was concerned about."

Others disagree however, and see the safety of the US food supply as being very much an issue of national security. Read the whole story...