Comments on Economically Motivated Adulteration

Xuman Amanda TianResearch Associate, Food Safety Program

Center for Science in the Public Interestatian@cspinet.org

FDA Public Meeting on EMA College park, Maryland

May 01, 2009

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CSPI

The Center for Science in the Public Interest is a bi-national NGO representing consumers in both the US and Canada

900,000 subscribers to the Nutrition Action Health Newsletter in U.S. and Canada

Publishes Outbreak Alert database

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Consumer Confidence

Americans’ confidence in food safety is plummeting…78% of consumers do not believe that

food is safer now than a year ago 48% decline in consumer confidence 46% worry about getting sick from food 52% have only some or little confidence

in the food inspection system

Sources: University of Minnesota, Consumers Union, AP-Ipsos,

Food Marketing Institute, USA Today

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Consumer Concerns About Imported Foods

CSPI Survey Results (August 2008)

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Economically Motivated Adulteration (EMA)

Problems can occur in foreign and domestic products:

Food attributes that are more vulnerable to EMA

Recent examples of EMA domestically and internationally

Further steps that U.S. regulators can take to predict and prevent EMA

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Vulnerable Food Attributes

Dairy Seafood Egg Grains Beverages Spices Oil Sugar

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Melamine in Chinese Dairy Products

Melamine was added in Infant formula and other dairy products to appear to have a higher protein content.

By November 2008, China reported an estimated 300,000 victims, six infants dead from kidney stones and other kidney damage, and a further 860 babies hospitalized.

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Melamine in the U.S. Infant Formula

Nestle, Mead Johnson, and Abbott Laboratories

More than 90% of all infant formula in the U.S.

Melamine & Cyanuric acid

Information was not made public

FDA set new standard – 1 ppm – after it was found in domestic product

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Pet Food and Animal Feed Recall in 2007

Over 150 brands of pet food and 1,000 products were recalled by a number of companies

Melamine and cyanuric acid tainted ingredient-wheat gluten & rice protein concentrate from China

Melamine added as a binder to fish and livestock feed in Ohio and Colorado.

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Antibiotics in Seafood from Southeast Asia-U.S.

Approximately 80% of the seafood bought in the U.S. is imported. Most of the imported shrimp comes from places such as Thailand, China, the Gulf of Mexico and other Asian countries.

Chloramphenicol was found in imported Thailand, Vietnam and Chinese shrimp and crawfish (2002)

Indonesia’s shrimps were found to be infected by viruses and contaminated by chloramphenicol (2004)

Chloramphenicol is routinely found in imported shrimp (2004)

Among 2% of imports tested by FDA, 10% of the samples have been tainted with Chloramphenicol (2007)

FDA detected malachite green in seafood from China (2006)

FDA blocked the importation of several varieties of seafood due to continued malachite green contamination (2007)

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EU food authorities detected unacceptable levels of chloramphenicol in imported shrimp from China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and India (2001)

EU continues to prohibit Cambodian seafood exports from entering Europe (2005)

EU decertified all shrimp from Pakistan (2007)

Canada imposed a 100 percent inspection policy on seafood exports from Vietnam after Vietnamese seafood products repeatedly tested positive for chloramphenicol (from 2003 to 2005). Japan did it in 2006 and Russia in 2007.   

Antibiotics in Seafood from Southeast Asia-International

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Strategies to Improve Consumer Protection

Funding

Clarification of roles

Improved import procedures

Focus on prevention

PRIORITIZATION OF FOOD SAFETY

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FDA’s 2007 Food Protection Plan Includes a New Vision

PREVENTION: Build safety in from the start

INTERVENTION: Risk-based inspections and

testing

RESPONSE: Rapid reaction, effective

communications

PREVENTION

INTERVENTION

RESPONSE

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Farm-to-Table Authorities

Prevention/Intervention/Response Model

Better allocates resources across all risks/agencies

Reduces “Promotion vs. Regulation” conflicts

Some bills consolidate profusion of agencies under focused leadership

Adds needed enforcement authorities

New Legislation in Congress

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What Global Consumers Need

Harmonization of international standards for:Farm-to-table preventative approachesEffective auditing at national, international

levelsTraceability

Greater information-sharing worldwideSafe Food International

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New Leadership on Food Safety

In February 2009, President Obama said:

[W]e are also strengthening our food safety system and modernizing our labs with a billion dollar investment, a portion of which will go toward significantly increasing the number of food inspectors, helping ensure that the FDA has the staff and support they need to protect the food we eat.

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Contact Information

Xuman Amanda TianResearch Associate, Food Safety Program

Center for Science in the Public Interest1875 Connecticut Ave, NW Suite 300

Washington, DC 20009

Phone: (202) 777-8377 Fax: (202) 265-4954E-mail: atian@cspinet.org

On the internet: www.cspinet.org and www.safefoodinternational.org