John Pomfret writes on his WashingtonPost.com blog that China’s recent powdered milk scandal should cause American consumers to worry about the Chinese imports their consuming on a daily basis:
That vitamin C you’re popping each morning? Chances are the ascorbic acid was Made in China. In the past several years, the number of FDA-registered drug manufacturers in China has nearly tripled. They went from 440 in 2004 to almost 1,300 in 2007.
Over the last years, the Chinese have had their share of foreign food and product scandals. Chinese-made pet food was laced (like milk) with melamine, killing scores of American dogs and cats. Then there was the lead paint on Chinese toys.
The Bush administration made the obligatory noise about cracking down on Chinese goods. But the reality was that, according to a series of agreements signed between the Bush administration and the Chinese government in Beijing in December of last year, no significant new American resources are going to be devoted to dealing with the problem. The onus is on the Chinese to clean up their act.
