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Europe, U.S. Sign Food Safety Pact

China Seizes Children's Snacks, Fake Blood Protein

July 5, 2007

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With Chinese food safety issues in the headlines, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have signed the first U.S./European food safety agreement.

The agreement is intended to encourage the sharing of confidential scientific and other information between EFSA and the FDA, such as methodologies to ensure that food is safe.

In China, government inspectors revealed that some children's snacks have been deemed unsafe and said hundreds of bottles of fake human blood protein were seized from hospitals.

It's not clear whether any of the affected products were exported.

Inspectors found that 40 per cent, 40 out of 100 children's snacks, failed food standard tests. Many had excessive additives and preservatives. In one case, candy fruit had 63 times the permitted amount of artificial sweetener, according to the Canadian television network CTV.

The snacks included soft drinks, candied fruits, gelatin desserts and some types of crackers. They were taken from 70 supermarkets, department stores and markets that sell wholesale products in seven Guangxi cities, according to the report.

US-Europe Pact

“I am delighted to be signing this agreement today with the FDA. Food safety knows no national boundaries and the food chain is today truly a global one,” said Catherine Geslain-Lanéelle, EFSA’s Executive Director.

“We need to work with the best scientific minds from across the world and extend scientific co-operation to assess food safety risks and protect consumers even more. Sharing data and knowledge across our two organizations is an important first step in achieving this goal.”

The agreement ensures protection of confidential information, removing one potential stumbling block to rapid and complete disclosure of information between the agencies.

Informal cooperation and dialogue have already been established between the two bodies; this agreement will enable these to be formalized and extended.

“As a science-based and science-led agency, FDA recognizes that scientific cooperation is vital for the success of its mission, which is to provide the best possible health protection for the public,” said Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D., Commissioner, Food and Drugs.

“I welcome this opportunity for scientific exchanges with our European colleagues – exchanges that will be focused on ensuring the safety and wholesomeness of food, a major area of responsibility of our agency.”

Chinese Restless

CTV's Beijing correspondent Steve Chao said there is widespread fear and anger among Chinese over the lack of standards regulating industry.

"There's a great deal of concern, a great deal of anger as well at the government for what appears to them to be a lack of concern about food and health safety standards -- basic things that for a while, Chinese people took for granted."

Part of the problem, Chao said, is that many of China's food products come from small "mom and pop" manufacturers or farms that sell their goods to larger companies, making it difficult for the government to enforce tough regulations and standards.

In the blood protein scare, inspectors said 420 fake bottles of albumin, a blood protein product, were found in hospitals.

The substance is used to treat patients undergoing heart surgery, and by doctors treating conditions such as shock, burns, liver failure and pancreatitis.

Other recent scandals in China have included the widespread sale of fake polio vaccines, vitamins and baby formula.

In May, the former top drug regulator in the nation was sentenced to death for accepting bribes.

U.S. consumers took note of China's problems after Chinese wheat gluten tainted with a chemical form of melamine was blamed for the deaths of dogs and cats that ate certain brands of pet food.

Toothpaste from China has been yanked from shelves after Panama reported the deaths last year of more than 100 people who used the product. Inspectors said some of the toothpaste contained a toxic ingredient found in antifreeze.

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