Is It Payback? China Sends Nuts Back to America China Turns Tables, Rejects U.S. Food Imports

Jun 10, 07:15 AM

Current Headlines: By AUDRA ANG

By Audra Ang

The Associated Press

BEIJING

China said Saturday that it had rejected a shipment of pistachios from the United States because it contained ants, the latest indication the government may be retaliating as Chinese products are turned back from overseas because of safety concerns.

The state television report indicated an increasing push to show that other countries also have food safety issues.

On Friday, Chinese food safety watchdog announced that shipments of health supplements and raisins from the U.S. had been returned or destroyed because they did not meet quality control standards.

China's food- and drug-safety record has come under scrutiny in recent months after the deaths of cats and dogs in the United States and Canada blamed on tainted Chinese pet food ingredients.

Since then, U.S. inspectors have banned or turned away a growing number of Chinese exports - from monkfish to juice to toothpaste - because they contained life-threatening levels of toxins or unsafe chemicals.

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration official said Friday that the U.S. is seeking more information on the latest cases of American products being turned away.

"Whatever the motives are for this, if it's real, we want to know about it," said David Acheson, assistant commissioner for food protection at the FDA.

The companies involved Friday were identified as K-Max Health Products Co., CMO Distribution Center of America, Inc., and Supervalu International Division, which exported Sun-Maid Golden Raisins.

Rebekah Fawcett, a spokeswoman for Supervalu, the parent company of Farm Fresh supermarkets in Hampton Roads, said its international division "works closely with our vendors and our manufacturers to ensure that the products we import and export adhere to quality standards and safety specifications."

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