Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Omaha Steve

(99,073 posts)
Tue Jul 22, 2014, 05:26 AM Jul 2014

China meat scandal hits Starbucks, Burger King

Source: AP-Excite

By JOE McDONALD

BEIJING (AP) — A suspect meat scandal in China engulfed Starbucks and Burger King on Tuesday and spread to Japan where McDonald's said the Chinese supplier accused of selling expired beef and chicken had provided 20 percent of the meat in its chicken nuggets.

Chinese authorities expanded their investigation of the meat supplier, Shanghai company Husi Food Co. A day after Husi's food processing plant in Shanghai was sealed by the China Food and Drug Administration, the agency said Tuesday that inspectors also will look at its facilities and meat sources in five provinces in central, eastern and southern China.

The scandal surrounding Husi Food, which is owned by OSI Group of Aurora, Illinois, has added to a string of safety scares in China over milk, medicines and other goods that have left the public wary of dairies, restaurants and other suppliers.

Food safety violations will be "severely punished," the food agency said on its website.

FULL story at link.



Customers have a meal at a McDonald's restaurant in Tokyo, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. McDonald{2019}s Corp. said Tuesday its restaurants in Japan stopped using chicken from the Shanghai company, Husi Food Co. McDonald{2019}s said Husi provided about 20 percent of the meat of expired chicken used in its chicken nuggets in Japan. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20140722/as-china-suspect-meat-6b459ef1e8.html



Couldn't they find a reporter with a name other than McDONALD since the scandal hit McDonald's the day before?
30 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
China meat scandal hits Starbucks, Burger King (Original Post) Omaha Steve Jul 2014 OP
Food safety violations will be "severely punished," the food agency said on its website. bulloney Jul 2014 #1
They executed the 2 involved in the melamine/formula scandal of 2008/2009 BumRushDaShow Jul 2014 #19
Another reason not to allow foreign food manufacturing access into our food chain... Historic NY Jul 2014 #2
It doesn't affect American food... Dr Hobbitstein Jul 2014 #11
Oh, in that case, who cares. TiredOfNo Jul 2014 #14
That's NOT what I said... Dr Hobbitstein Jul 2014 #15
Its globalism at its finest arikara Jul 2014 #26
Well, you're correct... Dr Hobbitstein Jul 2014 #29
But China is now allowed to export chicken to the US without any special precautions. tblue37 Jul 2014 #30
Gee, since so much of the report centers around Japan, they should have just called MADem Jul 2014 #3
I believe the TPP will prohibit country of origin labels. djean111 Jul 2014 #8
Also supplier to KFC and Pizza Hut;workers picked meat off floor. Divernan Jul 2014 #4
Another reason I support farm subsidies. Our food should come from HERE. 7962 Jul 2014 #5
China is also processing some of our salmon. bearssoapbox Jul 2014 #6
"from here" not necessarily safer--China bought Smithfield meat company. dixiegrrrrl Jul 2014 #24
Poisoned at the Source: China's Food Production Up Close DeSwiss Jul 2014 #7
At least we don't have to worry about this increasing in the US foodstream...oh, wait! Snarkoleptic Jul 2014 #9
Poultry rule would shift inspection responsibilities from federally employed inspectors to poultry.. Omaha Steve Jul 2014 #10
175 birds per minute....can you say "blurrr." TiredOfNo Jul 2014 #17
China is what Capitalism looks like without Upton Sinclair n/t Yavin4 Jul 2014 #12
And without unions, regulations and of course, those horrible bureaucrats. TiredOfNo Jul 2014 #18
Certainly they need laws that keep the spy cams out of the farms too. L0oniX Jul 2014 #13
My only advice is to cook your meats well done. TiredOfNo Jul 2014 #16
"Couldn't they find a reporter with a name other than McDONALD..." randome Jul 2014 #20
Ha, they just gave it to him by default I guess. n/t miyazaki Jul 2014 #21
I saw "Fast Food Nation" last night. RebelOne Jul 2014 #22
Great movie and book .this Chinese co. Is a sub of hamburger supplier for mcD here lunasun Jul 2014 #23
Starbucks serves meat? nt geek tragedy Jul 2014 #25
Yes lunasun Jul 2014 #27
For people who enjoy overpaying for food, I guess nt geek tragedy Jul 2014 #28

bulloney

(4,113 posts)
1. Food safety violations will be "severely punished," the food agency said on its website.
Tue Jul 22, 2014, 06:35 AM
Jul 2014

Sure they will. The reason we see reports of tainted foods, defective products and corrupt financial markets daily is because these corporations get a finger wagging and they're allowed to continue their practices. Penalties are so minor, these companies are not deterred from repeating these violations and consider the penalties part of their cost of doing business.

Historic NY

(37,449 posts)
2. Another reason not to allow foreign food manufacturing access into our food chain...
Tue Jul 22, 2014, 06:58 AM
Jul 2014

process'. These international mega-conglomerates don't seem to work out, considering this isn't the first time for Husi. They (OSI) apparently haven't learned.

TiredOfNo

(52 posts)
14. Oh, in that case, who cares.
Tue Jul 22, 2014, 10:29 AM
Jul 2014

It's an AMERICAN company that's ONLY poisoning Japanese and Chinese people. So that's alright.........

 

Dr Hobbitstein

(6,568 posts)
15. That's NOT what I said...
Tue Jul 22, 2014, 10:33 AM
Jul 2014

And it's not an American company doing the "poisoning", it's the supplier, which is Chinese.

You said something about letting foreign companies into our food chain, I was simply disputing that. It's not in OUR food chain.

That does not mean that it doesn't matter that it doesn't affect Americans.

arikara

(5,562 posts)
26. Its globalism at its finest
Tue Jul 22, 2014, 03:52 PM
Jul 2014

...The scandal surrounding Husi Food, which is owned by OSI Group of Aurora, Illinois...,

An American company, based in China, poisoning Japanese people.

 

Dr Hobbitstein

(6,568 posts)
29. Well, you're correct...
Tue Jul 22, 2014, 05:37 PM
Jul 2014

I guess I missed that. It was McDonald's that I was referring to, however..

Regardless, I am not defending ANY company in this... All I stated was that it did not affect the American food chain like the previous poster implied.

I'm not a fan of globalism, nor offshoring. I know that we've had issues in the past with exporting our beef to Japan, so I can see why they would want to use a different supplier. Not sure why China would be ok, however. Their track record re: food exports are worse than ours.

tblue37

(64,982 posts)
30. But China is now allowed to export chicken to the US without any special precautions.
Tue Jul 22, 2014, 07:32 PM
Jul 2014
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/04/chinese-poultry-processor_n_3866877.html


Chinese Poultry Processors Will Be Allowed To Export Meat To The U.S., USDA Rules
The Huffington Post | By Rachel Tepper

Where do chicken nuggets come from? The answer may not be straightforward following the Department of Agriculture's announcement on Friday that it has approved four Chinese poultry processors to begin shipping meat to the U.S.

According to The New York Times, the poultry that processors are allowed to ship will initially be restricted to cooked meat from birds raised in the U.S. But critics worry that the rules will change in the future, opening the door for poultry raised and slaughtered in China -- a country notorious for its food safety problems -- to be shipped to the U.S.

Among those critics is Tony Corbo, a senior lobbyist for the advocacy group Food and Water Watch. “This is the first step towards allowing China to export its own domestic chickens to the U.S.,” he told the Times.

Corbo has reason to be concerned; in the last months alone, Chinese police discovered an illegal food smuggling plot to sell 46-year-old chicken feet treated with bleach, a criminal ring accused of selling rat and fox meat as lamb and abnormally high levels of cadmium, a metal that can cause cancer and other illnesses, in rice sold in Guangzhou restaurants.

<SNIP>

MADem

(135,425 posts)
3. Gee, since so much of the report centers around Japan, they should have just called
Tue Jul 22, 2014, 07:06 AM
Jul 2014

the reporter Ma-coo-don-a-do! (That's pretty much how you say McDonald's in Japanese!)

I don't like that Chinese chicken--I'd rather look for something approximating a union label.

 

djean111

(14,255 posts)
8. I believe the TPP will prohibit country of origin labels.
Tue Jul 22, 2014, 08:14 AM
Jul 2014

Looks like the TPP will prohibit anything that would give consumers enough info about a product in order to make an informed decision on whether to buy it.

http://www.exposethetpp.org/TPPImpacts_FoodSafety.html

Under the TPP, food labels could also be challenged as "trade barriers." The TPP would impose limits on labels providing information on where a food product comes from. The TPP also would endanger labels identifying genetically modified foods and labels identifying how food was produced. TPP would expand the limits on consumer labels already included in existing "trade" agreements, like the World Trade Organization (WTO). But already under the WTO, the U.S. dolphin-safe tuna fish label and our country-of-origin meat and poultry labels have been successfully attacked by other countries. And, under TPP, a foreign meat processing or food corporation operating within the United States could directly challenge our policies that they claim undermine their expected future profits - meaning a barrage of new attacks.


So good luck looking for a union label - but do look closely at which politicians are pushing the TPP.

Divernan

(15,480 posts)
4. Also supplier to KFC and Pizza Hut;workers picked meat off floor.
Tue Jul 22, 2014, 07:08 AM
Jul 2014
http://www.suntimes.com/news/28791922-420/osi-group-based-in-aurora-investigates-report-that-expired-meat-reprocessed.html#.U85CkUB5uSp

OSI Group issued a statement Monday saying it has launched its own investigation into a report on China’s Dragon TV that workers at its factory in Shanghai were caught on camera reprocessing expired and discarded meat, including picking up meat off of the floor and mixing fresh meat with meat older than the expiration date.

McDonald’s Corp. and Yum Brands’ KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants said they switched to other suppliers and noted that the unit of OSI Group served restaurants only in the Shanghai area. McDonald’s, headquartered in Oak Brook, said the incident affected 25 percent of its restaurants in China.

The OSI Group started as Otto & Sons, eventually becoming in the 1970s the largest Midwest supplier of hamburgers to McDonald’s, according to an October 2013 report in Independent Processor magazine. The OSI Group website said the company has been supplying McDonald’s in China since 1992 and KFC and Yum Brands since 2008.OSI

The company expanded under the leadership of billionaire Sheldon Lavin, who transformed Otto & Sons into OSI Group, with 20,000 employees worldwide, $6.125 billion in 2013 revenue and more than 50 facilities in 17 countries, according to the magazine and an analysis by PrivCo business research.


 

7962

(11,841 posts)
5. Another reason I support farm subsidies. Our food should come from HERE.
Tue Jul 22, 2014, 07:19 AM
Jul 2014

I know these suppliers are supplying stores overseas, but if they can save a buck getting it for stores here, they'd do it.
I dont trust the Chinese to supply us ANYTHING. Look at the BPA problem, the pet food scandal, etc. They dont care and have no standards.

bearssoapbox

(1,408 posts)
6. China is also processing some of our salmon.
Tue Jul 22, 2014, 07:41 AM
Jul 2014

I haven't eaten anything from MickyD's, KFC or Taco Bell for years.

There is a chicken place in town and I know the owner and that he gets his meat and most of his supplies locally so I trust him.

Here's some more info about China processing salmon and chicken and how it's cheaper to let China do it.

http://bearssoapbox.over-blog.com/article-mcdonald-s-and-kfc-in-china-food-scare-after-supplier-falsified-expiry-dates-on-rotten-meat-124203596.html

Not providing link to steer anybody there. Just a bit more info.

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)
24. "from here" not necessarily safer--China bought Smithfield meat company.
Tue Jul 22, 2014, 03:11 PM
Jul 2014

Smithfield is the brand of low cost and sub par meat already.
bacon, for instance, has more fat than any other brand I have found.
The company owns 12 brands of foods, Armour being the most recognizable, I think.

China bought the company not long ago.

Snarkoleptic

(5,995 posts)
9. At least we don't have to worry about this increasing in the US foodstream...oh, wait!
Tue Jul 22, 2014, 08:24 AM
Jul 2014
http://ecowatch.com/2014/03/05/usda-chickens-shipped-china/

USDA to Allow Chickens From U.S. to Be Shipped to China for Processing and Back to U.S. for Consumption, Just Like Seafood


This arrangement is especially disturbing given China’s subpar food safety record and the fact that there are no plans to station on-site USDA inspectors at Chinese plants. Also, American consumers won’t know which brands of chicken are processed in China because there’s no requirement to label it as such.

To ease concerns, lobbyists and chicken industry proponents argue no U.S. company will ever ship chicken to China for processing because it wouldn’t work economically.

“Economically, it doesn’t make much sense,” said Tom Super, spokesman for the National Chicken Council, in a recent interview with the Houston Chronicle. “Think about it: A Chinese company would have to purchase frozen chicken in the U.S., pay to ship it 7,000 miles, unload it, transport it to a processing plant, unpack it, cut it up, process/cook it, freeze it, repack it, transport it back to a port, then ship it another 7,000 miles. I don’t know how anyone could make a profit doing that.”

Yet, a similar process is already being used for U.S. seafood.

Omaha Steve

(99,073 posts)
10. Poultry rule would shift inspection responsibilities from federally employed inspectors to poultry..
Tue Jul 22, 2014, 08:46 AM
Jul 2014

http://www.agweek.com/event/article/id/23710/

Published July 21, 2014, 10:15 AM

By: Jerry Hagstrom, Agweek

A coalition of consumer groups has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of Management and Budget to release the latest version of a rule to change poultry inspection and open a new comment period.

Unconfirmed reports have circulated that USDA pulled back on a proposal to increase the speed at which chickens whizz past inspectors after a meeting with the National Council of La Raza, which speaks for the Hispanic workers employed in the plants.

The rule, promulgated by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, would shift some poultry inspection responsibilities from federally employed inspectors to employees of the poultry companies, theoretically freeing the federal employees to perform other tasks. The original version of the rule also shifted the allowed line speeds from 140 birds per minute to 175 birds per minute.

Members of the Safe Food Coalition that signed the letter urging that the rule be made public and open to comment include: Center for Foodborne Illness Research & Prevention, Center for Science in the Public Interest, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, Food & Water Watch, Government Accountability Project, National Consumers League, and STOP Foodborne Illness.

- See more at: http://www.agweek.com/event/article/id/23710/#sthash.7g05cPrO.dpuf

FULL story at link.

TiredOfNo

(52 posts)
16. My only advice is to cook your meats well done.
Tue Jul 22, 2014, 10:40 AM
Jul 2014

You may still be eating cow and chicken shit but at least all the germs will be dead................

 

randome

(34,845 posts)
20. "Couldn't they find a reporter with a name other than McDONALD..."
Tue Jul 22, 2014, 11:49 AM
Jul 2014

Maybe he raised his hand and shouted, "Oh! Oh! Let me have that one!"
[hr][font color="blue"][center]I'm always right. When I'm wrong I admit it.
So then I'm right about being wrong.
[/center][/font][hr]

RebelOne

(30,947 posts)
22. I saw "Fast Food Nation" last night.
Tue Jul 22, 2014, 02:41 PM
Jul 2014

It was an eye-opener about how much cow feces was going into the meats. That's why I am thankful that I am a vegetarian.

lunasun

(21,646 posts)
23. Great movie and book .this Chinese co. Is a sub of hamburger supplier for mcD here
Tue Jul 22, 2014, 02:54 PM
Jul 2014

The scandal surrounding Husi Food, which is owned by OSI Group of Aurora, Illinois, has added to a string of safety scares in China over milk, medicines and other goods that have left the public wary of dairies, restaurants and other suppliers.

Although Husi foods do not come here, we have enough crap food here already that is retrieved raw from floor shops etc.

Latest Discussions»Latest Breaking News»China meat scandal hits S...