Import scandal taints China

In the past few weeks, Bruce Cran's office has been flooded with calls from hundreds of consumers concerned about the safety of Chinese goods.
If it's not about toothpaste filled with the poisonous diethylene glycol chemical, it's about Thomas the Tank Engine toys coated in lead.
Before that, it was thousands calling about potentially fatal pet food.
That is why yesterday Cran, president of Consumers' Association of Canada, called for the federal government to put more safeguards in place.
"At the moment, China is the one we see as being the main culprit for lots of things going on here," he said. "What we are talking about here is the inadequacy of the system here in Canada to protect Canadian consumers from any of this stuff."
Cran's comments came as Chinese inspectors yesterday reported dozens of children's snacks in China – including soft drinks, candied fruits, gelatine desserts and some types of crackers – failed to meet national food standards.
Excessive additives and preservatives were found in nearly 40 per cent of 100 children's snacks tested. In a separate investigation, inspectors also seized hundreds of bottles of fake human blood protein from hospitals.
Whether these cases will serve to undermine China's status as an exporting giant, propelled by low-production costs, remains to be seen.
In recent years, Canada's imports from China have been rapidly increasing.
Imports jumped from $16 billion in 2002 to $34.5 billion in 2006, according to Statistics Canada.
Cran also expressed concern about Chinese tires that were recalled in the United States. The recall covers brand names including Westlake, Telluride, Compass and YKS, some of which may have been imported by a Toronto-area company.
The tires, made by Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co., were recalled in the United States by government order last week. The tires lack a safety feature that helps bind the belts of a tire, raising concern of possible tread separation.
Transport Canada noted yesterday the Canadian system operates differently from the U.S. as the department does not have the power to recall.
The department said it is planning to send the tires to a lab for testing this week.
If the tires are found faulty, the importer will be notified and required to inform owners and the department. If they resist, the Department of Justice can be notified, said Lars Eif, Transport Canada's chief of defect investigations and recalls.
As for safeguards, Eif said the department does sample testing but it does not have the facilities to test every tire.
At the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, officials say products are carefully monitored once they are assessed as being at risk. Samples are taken for chemical residue and micro contamination tests are done on selected samples of vegetables and fruits.
Last year, a sample of Chinese fruits and vegetables turned up a 4 per cent violation rate from chemical residue testing, compared with the norm of 1 per cent, said René Cardinal of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Cardinal said measures could be put in place to restrict entry if producers do not have good measures in place and violations continue.
The Chinese government, meanwhile tried to calm fears over the country's products.
"China has taken measures and enacted relevant legislation regarding inspection and monitoring of its food export process. China has been very responsible in this regard to ensure the good quality and safety of its exports," Foreign Minister Qin Gang said.
As for the suspect tires, Transport Canada is still figuring out which companies imported them.

Translation service in yiwu
Export from china
Fashion jewelry