About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 (September 9, 2016)

handle is hein.crs/crsnalcaaaat0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Informg th legislative debate since 1914 0 September 9, 2016 China's Efforts to Address Ongoing Food Safety Concerns China's role in global agricultural trade has grown significantly, with China now a major supplier of fish and seafood, fruits and vegetables, juices, and processed foods. Agricultural trade between China and the United States has grown sharply since the 1990s (Figure 1). In 2015, U.S. imports from China were valued at $6.4 billion, accounting for about 5% of the value of all U.S. food imports. Many in the U.S. Congress, however, are concerned about the safety of food produced in China. They cite numerous past incidents of unsafe or tainted food, the perception of poor hygiene practices in production and manufacturing, alleged lack of adequate regulatory oversight from the Chinese government, and persistent evidence of economically incentivized food fraud with public health implications. Figure I. U.S. Food Imports from China Source: CRS from U.S. International Trade Commission trade data (Harmonized Trade Schedule codes in chapters I through 22). One of China's more high-profile food safety incidents, in 2008, involved companies that knowingly added the chemical melamine-used to make plastic-to a number of their food products including infant formula. Reportedly, melamine-tainted milk products and related ingredients were exported worldwide. Substitution of melamine for wheat gluten and rice protein as an ingredient in pet food was also implicated in a recall of pet food in the United States that sickened and killed cats and dogs in 2007. Members of Congress voiced alarm at this situation at the time, which contributed to the backdrop leading up to the enactment of comprehensive food safety legislation in 2010 with the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (P.L. 111- 353). This legislation tightened U.S. safety regulations of both domestically-produced and imported foods. Food and food ingredients from China continue to be a concern. Media reports repeatedly highlight a series of food safety scandals involving contaminated and counterfeit meat and fish products, adulterated fruit and vegetable products including juices, illicit cooking oils, and a range of tainted processed foods, spices and herbs, distilled spirits, and pet treats. Other safety scandals have involved a range of pharmaceutical drugs, body products, and other consumer goods. Foods have been found to be tainted with chemical compounds, unlawful drug residues, additives and dyes, pathogens, and other pests. Some foods enter the market well past their expiration dates or are unsanitary. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that the most frequently reported safety violations in Chinese foods involve pesticide and pathogen contamination. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains import alerts regarding a range of products from China- mostly fish and seafood products but also certain produce- under which products can be subject to detention without physical examination upon arrival in the United States. USDA has also blocked some meat and fish shipments from China. FDA now maintains an office in China to address the safety, quality, and effectiveness of food and medical products produced in China for export to the United States. Congress has held a number of hearings on public health and safety concerns related to food and food ingredients from China. A subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee conducted a 2013 hearing on the threat of China's unsafe consumables, largely focused on food safety. The Congressional-Executive Commission on China conducted a 2014 hearing on pet treats and processed chicken from China and a 2013 hearing on China's food and drug safety concerns. In 2008, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission examined safety and trade issues associated with Chinese seafood. China's Food Safety Regime No single agency is responsible for China's food safety regulations and enforcement. China's principal food safety authorities include the following: * China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA): oversees food production and distribution-including food additives and health food-and the administrative licensing of foods (http://eng.sfda.gov.cnl); * General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ): oversees food imports and exports, including entry/exit inspections, certifications and standardizations, quality management, and health quarantines (http://english.aqsiq.gov.cn/); and * National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC): conducts food safety risk monitoring and assessment, develops national food safety standards, and reviews the safety of food, food additives, and new materials and related products (http://en.nhfpc.gov.cn/). Other agencies also play a role, including China's Ministry of Agriculture, as well as provincial government agencies. www.crs.gov i 7-570 $billions

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most