Welcome news from AFP -
The commission's task would be "to strengthen the country's food monitoring system, whose low efficiency has long been blamed for repeated food scandals," the report said.
[...]
Experts have said a key reason for ... regulatory shortcomings is that too many different agencies have jurisdiction over the food industry.
Absolutely, and it's about time! Even though it's fading from the headlines, the peanut salmonella outbreak is still ongoing, and the number of sicknesses continues to grow as one of the largest food recalls in history continues.
As Jill asks in the title of her Alternet article published yesterday, how do we know what's safe to eat? Well unfortunately, we're still going to have to wait a bit for that here in the US...
Because the country currently setting up that central food safety agency is China. Where at least 70 people were just sickened from eating tainted pork -
Investigations showed the suspect pork bought from local markets was contaminated with clenbuterol, a drug often given to people to treat asthma but also commonly used to cut body fat.
Cases of clenbuterol being given to pigs in China to reduce their fat have been recorded, but it is a banned food additive because it can be fatal for humans, the China Daily said.
One of the worst cases involving clenbuterol occurred in Shanghai in 2006 when 336 people were hospitalised after eating pig meat or organs contaminated with the additive, according to the paper. |
