china
FDA Believes Heparin Contamination Was Intentional
The New York Times reports that the FDA is now working under the assumption that the deadly contamination of heparin was intentional. In her prepared testimony before a congressional subcommittee, Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation said,
FDA’s working hypothesis is that this was intentional contamination, but this has not been proven.
More details, inside…
Disney Upset About Risque Hannah Montana Pics, Underaged Girls On Their Billboards In China
So Disney is all upset over some slightly saucy photographs of 15-year-old Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus, but it seems in their haste to toss out accusations (Disney spokeswoman Patti McTeague told the New York Times that “a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines”), the company neglected to consider the appropriateness of using obviously under-aged girls on their underwear billboards in China.
Food Companies Threaten Higher Prices If FDA Increases Safety Oversight
Last week, the Grocery Manufacturers Association told lawmakers that if the FDA doubled its safety oversight budget by increasing fees from food companies, they’d have to raise prices to make up the cost. That’s right: affordable food or safe food. Choose one!
Recalled Heparin Contaminant Confirmed, And Congress Grills FDA On Inspections
Researchers have identified the chemical in the contaminated blood thinner Heparin that killed 81 people in the U.S. and made patients here and in Europe sick:The researchers freeze-dried the heparin and used a combination of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and liquid chromatography-mass…
$25 Million Counterfeit Goods Ring Busted In NY-NJ
If you live in the NYC area, one thing you probably won’t be spending your stimulus check on now is a pair of shiny new fake Nikes—or ersatz Louis Vuittons, packs of imitation Duracell batteries, or faux-Timberland boots.
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The US Isn’t the only wacky lawsuit country. In China, KFC won a defamation lawsuit filed by an elderly gentleman who accused the fast food chain of damaging his social standing, because he felt their “teadog set meal” implied that he and his grandson had become “dog friends.” [China Daily]
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A group of seven advertising companies successfully txt spammed half of China. [Forbes]
Charges Filed Against Importers Of Toxic Toothpaste
On Tuesday, the city of Los Angeles and the FDA charged the heads of two U.S. importing companies with 14 counts each of “receiving, selling and delivering an adulterated drug,” for their roles in importing and distributing over 70,000 tubes of toothpaste containing diethylene glycol (DEG) instead of glycerin. “Each count carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.”
Lead Found In Dental Appliance
Finally! It’s been so long since we’ve posted about anything tainted with lead that we were starting to wonder if all the world’s trade problems had been resolved—but now comes a new study that found 210 parts per million (ppm) of lead in the porcelain veneer of a dental crown ordered from China. That’s a lot less than the CPSC’s current 600 ppm threshold, but a lot more than the international standard of only 90 ppm. The good news is it’s highly unlikely developing children will need a mouth full of crowns and bridges. The bad news is it’s yet another example of how hazardous material can slip undiscovered into the marketplace—and your mouth.
"Made In Italy" Is Italian For "Made In Sweatshops"
That $1,500 Prada bag may have been stitched by an illegal Chinese immigrant slaving away in a Tuscan factory. The tentacles of globalization are starting to snake dirt-cheap foreign laborers into once-protected enclaves known for their quality swag.
Trader Joe's Will Remove All Single-Ingredient Food From China From Their Stores By April 1
“Our customers have voiced concerns about products from this region and we have listened,” Trader Joe’s spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki said in a statement.
FDA Wants To Open A Field Office In China
The FDA tells Reuters that it wants permission to open a field office on China so it has some “boots on the ground.” Rather than inspecting food, this proposed FDA expansion team’s main function would be to lobby the Chinese government for more stringent regulations. Be still our beating heart.
Stuff From China Could Cost 10% More
Long the land of low low prices, the prices on consumer goods imported from China could rise by as much as 10 percent this year. What’s changed in China?
Chinese Exporters Use Kosher Certification To Quell Food Safety Concerns
Kosher certification is the new darling of health-conscious consumers who misguidedly believe that biblically blessed health standards can reign in the excesses of commercial food production. Even Chinese exporters are betting that kosher certification can convince foreign consumers that their wares are safe. To companies, certification is just a marketing tool: it lends the aura of safety without offering any actual food safety benefits.
Many Chinese companies were unfamiliar with the concept: One furniture maker asked for kosher certification, drawing a polite rebuff. Another facility asked to get certified as kosher even though it was smoking eel on site, a kosher no-no. The company was turned down; it is now building a separate, kosher-only facility.
Poison: The High Cost Of Cheap Batteries
Cadmium batteries are cheap and safe to use, but hazardous to manufacture. They’ll save you money—about $1.50 for the average cadmium-powered toy, says the Wall Street Journal.
China Bans Flimsy Plastic Shopping Bags
The measure, effective June 1, eliminates the flimsiest bags and forces stores to charge for more durable bags, making China the latest nation to target plastic bags in a bid to cut waste and conserve resources.
Mice Found On United Airlines Flight
United Airlines Flight UA897 from Washington to Beijing landed in China with a mice infestation onboard, reported a Chinese state official on Monday: “Eight mice, dead and (alive), were found at last … hidden in pillows.” An “emergency team” boarded the craft and “put rat poison and mouse traps at every possible corner on the aircraft, including the cockpit… the surviving mice were sent to labs for testing.”
