On April
9, Chinese customs in Ganjiang new district, Nanchang city, Jiangxi province
destroyed 50 tonnes of imported dairy products that were deemed to be of
unsatisfactory quality. This is the first time to destroy a large batch of
imported dairy products at the port in Nanchang.
This
decision was supervised by Chinese customs officers in Ganjiang New District.
The 50 tonnes of substandard imported dairy products were compressed and then
sent to an incineration power plant, where the substandard imported dairy
products were disposed without harming the environment. The rationale behind
this decision was to prevent these products from entering the Chinese market and
causing health problems.
Salmonella
detected in whey powder imported from Belarus
According
to a news report, the substandard imported dairy products came from Belarus.
The dairy products were packed with two 40ft containers which included 2,000
bags valued at USD 32,400. The dairy products entered the Chinese border via
the railway port in Nanchang. The customs officers in Ganjiang New District
took a sample of several dairy powder products from the shipment to perform
laboratory tests for safety after reviewing the documents of these products.
The results from the laboratory tests showed that salmonella was detected in
these products, and therefore the products did not meet the requirements of the
Chinese Food Safety Standards for Whey Powder and Whey Protein Powder.
The customs
officers in Ganjiang New District stated that salmonella is one of the common
indicative bacteria to cause food contamination around the world, and it is
also a significant indicator for microbiological abnormalities. Salmonella is a
type of bacteria to cause various diseases in the human body, and it is highly infectious.
Foods with salmonella will easily cause food poisoning. The officers also
reminded importers that the differences between the food safety standards of
China and other countries should be noted when importing food to China. Some
ingredients which are allowed to be used in certain countries may be prohibited
from use in China.
Salmonella
mainly exists in the intestinal tract of both the human body and the bodies of
animals. Animal-derived foods such as pork, chicken meat, animal offal, eggs,
and raw milk often contain salmonella. Vegetable-derived foods may be
contaminated with salmonella as well. For example, melon was tested with salmonella
in the United States in 2012, causing food poisoning in over one hundred
people. In addition, people with salmonella are also one of the significant sources
of infection.
China's
dairy imports mainly from Oceania, with other regions' imports increasing
China's
imported dairy products are mainly from New Zealand, Australia, North and South
America, and European countries. In 2008, China established a free trade area
with New Zealand, and as a result, China's imported dairy products from New
Zealand increased quickly, from 247,400 tonnes of dairy products coming from
New Zealand in 2009 up to 700,400 tonnes in 2016. Additionally, the volume of
imported dairy products from the United States has also seen a twofold
increase, from 148,100 tonnes in 2009 to 281,000 tonnes in 2016. Although the
imported volume of dairy products from Australia is limited, the volume of
imports is increasing. The free trade agreement between China and Australia will
promote the cooperation between the two countries with regard to dairy imports.
For more information on China's import and export situation, please check
our Online Database.