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Chinese Chicken Processors Are Cleared to Ship to U.S.

Unitedwestand13

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http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/31/business/chinese-chicken-processors-are-cleared-to-ship-to-us.html?_r=5&

The Department of Agriculture on Friday approved four Chinese poultry processors to begin shipping a limited amount of meat to the United States, a move that is likely to add to the debate over food imports.

Initially, the companies will be allowed to export only cooked poultry products from birds raised in the United States and Canada. But critics predicted that the government would eventually expand the rules, so that chickens and turkeys bred in China could end up in the American market.

“This is the first step towards allowing China to export its own domestic chickens to the U.S.,” said Tony Corbo, the senior lobbyist for Food and Water Watch, an advocacy group that works to promote food safety.

The U.S.D.A.’s decision follows years of wrangling over the issue, and comes as Americans are increasingly focused on the origin of their food.

In recent years, imports have been the source of contamination, prompting broader worries about food safety. The Food and Drug Administration just released an analysis of imported spices, showing high levels of salmonella in coriander, oregano, sesame seeds and curry powder.

China does not have the best track record for food safety, and its chicken products in particular have raised questions. The country has had frequent outbreaks of deadly avian influenza, which it sometimes has been slow to report.

Recently, an F.D.A. investigation tied the deaths of more than 500 dogs and a handful of cats to chicken jerky treats that came from China. The treats, which were eventually recalled, additionally were blamed for sickening more than 2,500 animals.

The proposed sale of Smithfield Foods to Shuanghui International, a major Chinese food processor, has added to the industry scrutiny. In July, senators from both parties questioned Larry Pope, the chief executive of Smithfield, about the implications of his company’s deal for food safety and United States employment.

Mr. Pope responded that the deal was intended to address the rising demand for meat in China and that American workers would be employed in that effort. “This means increased capacity for U.S. producers, more jobs in processing and more exports for the U.S. economy,” Mr. Pope said. “At the same time, we will continue to supply our same high-quality, renowned products to U.S. consumers.”

The poultry trade between the United States and China has been contentious for years. Under the Bush administration, the U.S.D.A. moved to allow imports of chicken from China, which has banned imports of American beef since 2003 over worries about mad cow disease.

In response, Congress blocked Chinese chicken exports. China retaliated by slapping huge tariffs on American chicken. The fight ended up at the World Trade Organization, which ruled that the tariffs were too high.

if china is going to be the one guaranteeing the safety of processed chicken products, i think it would be wise to stop eating processed chicken altogether
 
We send chickens from the US and Canada to be processed in China and then sent back here? That seems ridiculous.
 
We send chickens from the US and Canada to be processed in China and then sent back here? That seems ridiculous.

apparently it makes more economic sense to process chickens in a foreign country rather then process them here.
 
apparently it makes more economic sense to process chickens in a foreign country rather then process them here.

Even including transport. Ridiculous. I bet Mexicans could do it.
 
and considering the health risks that come with china processing our chickens, should we rely on common sense rather then economic sense?

Sea transport is almost totally unregulated and a massive source of pollution and other externalities. I bet Mexicans could do it, by hand, in between picking stuff.
 
Umm. I think you're misreading this:
Mr. Pope responded that the deal was intended to address the rising demand for meat in China

I doubt it will be shipped back to the US. I've seen a film about Tyson and chicken slaughter is so incredibly automated that there is no reason to re-import exported chickens.

Of course, I could be wrong.
 
Umm. I think you're misreading this:


I doubt it will be shipped back to the US. I've seen a film about Tyson and chicken slaughter is so incredibly automated that there is no reason to re-import exported chickens.

Of course, I could be wrong.

Chinese Chickens???!! We don't need not stinkin chickens, or badgers...(or badges??) ;)
 
We send chickens from the US and Canada to be processed in China and then sent back here? That seems ridiculous.

Yeah, I thought the same thing when I first heard the story. I wounder how much fuel is expanded doing this and what are driving the cost savings here. poultry processing seems mostly automated and I can't imagine the labor costs really justifying it
 
Umm. I think you're misreading this:


I doubt it will be shipped back to the US. I've seen a film about Tyson and chicken slaughter is so incredibly automated that there is no reason to re-import exported chickens.

Of course, I could be wrong.

When i first read about the story it stated explicitly that the chickens were just being sent out for processing and then re imported. Though I can't think of what outlet ran it, so can't speak for it's accuracy
 
Yeah, I thought the same thing when I first heard the story. I wounder how much fuel is expanded doing this and what are driving the cost savings here. poultry processing seems mostly automated and I can't imagine the labor costs really justifying it

Fuel is especially cheap for sea transport, which lacks fuel quality and emissions regulations.
 
Umm. I think you're misreading this:


I doubt it will be shipped back to the US. I've seen a film about Tyson and chicken slaughter is so incredibly automated that there is no reason to re-import exported chickens.

Of course, I could be wrong.

could be environmental and safety regulations. I imagine processing birds creates lots of waste
 
Umm. I think you're misreading this:


I doubt it will be shipped back to the US. I've seen a film about Tyson and chicken slaughter is so incredibly automated that there is no reason to re-import exported chickens.

Of course, I could be wrong.

This seems plain enough:

Initially, the companies will be allowed to export only cooked poultry products from birds raised in the United States and Canada. But critics predicted that the government would eventually expand the rules, so that chickens and turkeys bred in China could end up in the American market.
 
the concern is about china's track record of food health. people are worried that the chicken from china could cause a lot of health related issues

I understand people are concerned and it's pretty much a no brainer why. What intrigues me is that this is producing savings somewhere. Because on the surface it seems like a huge waste of resources
 
Good grief© The Chinese are coming! The Chinese are coming!

Is nothing sacred?

I wish I had a link to the Tyson film but it was part of an info kit (my friend is a food buyer at a Casino) and it was the most amazing (and gruesome) thing I ever saw and I've seen some strange things.
 
could be environmental and safety regulations. I imagine processing birds creates lots of waste

My guess is maybe the birds are killed in the US, frozen, exported to China, and come back in pot pie or something.
 
We send chickens from the US and Canada to be processed in China and then sent back here? That seems ridiculous.

Welcome to the wondrous world of globalization where it is cheaper to ship things across multiple oceans than to produce it in one place.
 
Welcome to the wondrous world of globalization where it is cheaper to ship things across multiple oceans than to produce it in one place.

I know. I did my MSc in International Environmental Science. Nonetheless, shipping chickens to China for processing and then to be "exported" to us still seems absurd.

The vast majority of shipping back and forth is raw material to the developed world and the same processed goods to the developing world. This is due to the price of raw materials in the developing world and a lack of industrialization in the developing world. That reasoning doesn't work for chickens going to and then from China.
 
All I wanna know is: Are these chickens from Chickety China?

From what I've heard, those do bad things to you when eaten.
 
As long as these chickens all go to chick-fil-A, I won't have to worry about them.
 
All I wanna know is: Are these chickens from Chickety China?

From what I've heard, those do bad things to you when eaten.

Lol I thought of that too. And I am afraid some folks brains have indeed "stopped tickin". The absurdity of shipping meat all the way around the world before serving it for dinner is pretty strong. I get the economic motive. But it is really a crazy world we are making.
 
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