China suspends some U.S. pork, chicken feet imports

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's quarantine bureau has suspended imports of frozen chicken and pork parts from top U.S. meat and poultry processors, even as international scrutiny of Chinese food and drug safety grows.

Salmonella was found in frozen chicken meat from Tyson Foods , the largest U.S. meat processor, while frozen chicken feet shipped by Sanderson Farms had residues of growth enhancers and anti-parasite drugs, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said.

Imports of frozen pork ribs from Cargill Meat Solutions Corp., a unit of agri-business giant Cargill Inc., have been suspended for 45 days from July 7, said the notice, posted on its website (www.aqsiq.gov.cn) on Friday.

"We were surprised to see our name on the list," said Winnie Fang, China regional manager for AJC International Inc., which distributes pork products from Tyson in China. Its frozen pork shipments were also suspended.

"It's a case of different standards in the U.S. and China" in application of growth hormones, she said.

U.S. poultry and meat processors ship great quantities of chicken feet and other parts spurned by U.S. consumers to China, where they are a delicacy.

A chemical ingredient in pet food that caused the death of animals in the United States earlier this year has triggered concern over the safety of food and drug exports from China.

Mislabeled chemicals from China caused the death of patients in Panama, while a number of countries have taken Chinese-made toothpaste off shelves. Exports of items from tires to toys have be given greater scrutiny.

Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a temporary hold on imports of some Chinese seafood until suppliers could prove they were free of harmful residues.

SAFETY

Poorly regulated food and drug safety standards have been a problem for years in China, which has about half a million food processors. The Chinese government has moved in recent weeks to respond to the problem, promising stricter oversight.

But Li Yuanping, director general of the quarantine administration's import and export food safety bureau, defended the quality of Chinese food exports, saying "99 percent or more" passed muster.

The quarantine bureau also published a list of 42 Chinese firms whose products would not be allowed to be exported to Japan, the United States, South Korea, Canada, Hong Kong or southeast Asia.

This week, China executed the former head of its Food and Drug Administration for corruptly approving unsafe drugs.

But the quarantine bureau also ordered greater scrutiny of U.S. imports late last month, raising suspicions of trade retaliation.

The import suspensions come as U.S. hog futures rose on speculation that China would need to import more pork to offset a domestic shortage caused by widespread outbreaks of blue ear disease in pigs.

Tyson and pork producer Smithfield Foods Inc. said on Friday that Chinese buyers had shown interest in buying more pork.

Cargill officials in China couldn't be immediately reached for comment, while there was no answer at Tyson's Shanghai office or on Sanderson Farms' consumer hotline.

Also suspended were salted pig innards from Triumph Foods, frozen chicken feet from Intervision Foods and frozen pig ears from Van Luin Foods USA, a unit of Van Luin Food Group of the Netherlands.