Is contaminated feed killing pigs in China?

Here’s an update to earlier posts about the pet food debacle. It’s relevance to CAM is that it points out (again) the endemic problem of quality control in the food industry in China, and by extension the risks that a lack of oversight and quality control pose to people who use traditional Chinese medicines.

The New York Times reports an epidemic is killing pigs in southeastern China.

“Hong Kong officials expressed surprise today when they were told that the official Xinhua news agency mentioned a month ago that the mainland had begun nationwide testing of wheat gluten for melamine.”

Remember, melamine was one of the contaminants in the Menu Foods pet food recall.

“The reports in Hong Kong said the disease began killing pigs after the Chinese New Year celebrations in February, and is now spreading. But state-controlled news outlets in China have reported almost nothing about the pig deaths, and very little about the wheat gluten problem.”

Related posts to put this in context are here, here and here.

5/7/07 22:36 JR