The New York Times this morning reports that the safety of China’s food exports is very much a factor in trade talks currently taking place between Chinese and US government officials.
“In the wake of reports about poison-tainted toothpaste and pet food from China, administration officials said that both the agriculture secretary, Mike Johanns, and the secretary of health and human services, Michael O. Leavitt, raised the issue of food safety throughout the day,” the Times writes. Carlos M. Gutierrez, the US commerce secretary, told reporters, “They know this is an issue that concerns us and concerns the American people.”
Chinese officials reportedly have agreed to strengthen their regulatory efforts.
“In the wake of reports about poison-tainted toothpaste and pet food from China, administration officials said that both the agriculture secretary, Mike Johanns, and the secretary of health and human services, Michael O. Leavitt, raised the issue of food safety throughout the day,” the Times writes. Carlos M. Gutierrez, the US commerce secretary, told reporters, “They know this is an issue that concerns us and concerns the American people.”
Chinese officials reportedly have agreed to strengthen their regulatory efforts.
- KC's View:
- US officials know that it isn’t just the Chinese government’s credibility that is at stake here. It is their own, as consumers become less and less convinced that enough is being done to safeguard the American food supply.
