Regulations to limit the export of health risks

After having affected pets in many countries, which became ill or died from poisoning, the health crisis involving Chinese food products has now spread to pig, chicken and fish farms in the United States. Recent studies also show the presence of toxic agents in imported food additives for human consumption.

The United States has been affected the most and the Food and Drug Administration1 is preparing to tighten sanitary tests for food entering the country. “Our food-safety system is broken” admitted Rosa L. DeLauro, democratic congresswoman and chairwoman of the Agriculture Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, in an article published in the Washington Post.

However, this is not a new problem: three years ago the quality of Chinese agricultural and food products had already caused a scandal. Numerous infants suffered from deformities because they had consumed adulterated reconstituted milk. And last year in Shanghai 300 people were intoxicated by eating pork containing harmful chemicals.

In the context of increased liberalization, the nearly total lack of traceability and the inefficiency of quality control mean that health risks are exported today outside of Chinese borders. Abusive use of green revolution techniques, buoyed by economic growth and opening to the world market, has made China one of the leading exporting powers for agricultural products and food today. Available for export at extremely competitive prices, these products rarely comply with international quality standards. The competitive edge of Chinese agriculture is therefore the fruit of environmental and sanitary dumping.

The evaluation of health risks and the overall costs linked to the liberalization of agricultural markets must be carried out. A new form of international cooperation must also be defined in order to guarantee food safety and supply and enable the application of specific trade rules to agriculture.

1 The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a federal agency responsible for security tests and regulating the commercialization of food products and medicines in the United States.