Chinese exporters seek to shed taint
To keep their catfish in US markets, some of China's top producers seek independent ratings.
from the July 6, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 3
To distinguish those from the outlaws, Wang says, his association plans to select 10 Chinese farm-raised fish exporting companies that have never had any shipments rejected by the FDA, representing about 80 percent of catfish exports. Subjected to monitoring by SGS, they will be approved to market their catfish under the "China Cage Raised Reservoir Catfish" brand name.
Wang says he plans to lead a delegation of catfish producers to the US next month to explain the scheme to the US authorities.
This branding exercise "makes complete sense," says Dan Harris, an attorney with Harris & Moure who advises small and medium companies doing business with Chinese firms. "It is very smart. They are recognizing the reality."
It is not clear how long the scheme will take to finalize, however, and in the meantime, Mr. Sun, the fish-farm owner, says he is "very angry with those individual farmers whose actions have impacted our exports. This is going to cost me about 300,000 RMB ($40,000) a season."
Sun's farm manager, Qian Ren, says he does not understand the problem. "We have never used drugs on this farm," he insists. "I feed these fish and raise them. I know they are safe to eat and I eat them."
That is unlikely to convince FDA inspectors, however. For the time being, Baiyang's catfish line will sit unused. "I could be shipping 200 containers a year," sighs Ms. Wang. "Now we will just have to wait and see what happens."
Troubled Chinese exports
Among recent US bans and recalls of Chinese food and drug products have been:
• March, 2007: FDA banned wheat gluten products
• May 10: Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi banned farm-raised catfish
• May: A Chinese monkfish distributor recalled its product
•June 1: FDA banned some toothpastes
•June 28: FDA banned some farm-raised seafood
• Other products of Chinese origin that have been banned or recalled include toys, vitamins, fruit and fruit-derived products, ceramic heaters, and automobile tires
Sources: FDA, The New York Times, NPR
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