Tainted Ginger

More quality problems from China.

Health officials in California have warned consumers in the northern part of the state against eating fresh ginger imported from China, which tests showed contain an unapproved pesticide, the San Jose Mercury News reported. The ginger contained aldicarb sulfoxide, which is known to cause headaches, dizziness, diarrhea, and difficulty breathing when ingested. State health officials are investigating further, though no illnesses have been reported in connection to the ginger. A Los Angeles importer purchased the ginger before transferring it to a distributor, who then sold it to several supermarkets in northern California.

Some Positive Food News

"Chinese and European Union (EU) quality control officials yesterday agreed to share more information on seizures of substandard consumer products and strengthen law enforcement to better combat unsafe goods.

The two sides will have to thrash out the details of the action plan.

For now, safety watchdogs from the two sides will exchange more information on unsafe products in the EU rapid alert system for non-food products, known as RAPEX, to help them better select targets for enforcement."

Culinary Arts to Take a Hit in Southern China

The term "wild game" conjures up images of buffalo, elk, ostrich, antelope, boar, etc. Not so in southern China where the Chinese will eat ANYTHING that moves.

"According to Guangdong Provincial Industrial and Commercial Administration, it will conduct a comprehensive check in restaurants for wild animals, particularly to ban those "underground" game food restaurants. From now on, no restaurants will be allowed to put "game food" on their signboards.

The check will be focused on rats, hamsters, civet cats and pangolins, which are common on the recipes of many wild animal restaurants in Guangdong."

This is a pangolin in case you were wondering.

Lucky Southerners

"Live rats are being trucked from central China, suffering a plague of a reported 2 billion rodents displaced by a flooded lake, to the south to end up in restaurant dishes, Chinese media reported. Some vendors, who declined to reveal their names, had asked people from a village in Hunan province, near Dongting Lake, to sell them live rats, the Beijing News said Monday."

Why anyone is surprised that food quality is an issue over here is a mystery.