In the last week there have been a number of interesting developments in food policy. Each is in early development, but worthy of a brief note. President Trump, in a meeting regarding Chinese tariffs with Republican lawmakers from agricultural states, indicated a willingness to reconsider participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), perhaps as a means … Continue Reading
The U.S. will protect its farmers during rising trade tensions between the U.S. and China, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association yesterday (see Reuters). This follows a statement from USDA last week stating that it was looking for ways to shield farmers from the conflict between China and the U.S. … Continue Reading
China has increased tariffs by up to 25% on 128 U.S. products—including many food products—in response to the increased tariffs on steel and aluminum imports announced by President Trump last month. The new tariffs, effective April 2, include 25% on U.S. pork and 15% on certain wine products, fruits, and nuts. China issued a statement … Continue Reading
China announced tariff cuts on 187 products—including baby powdered milk, avocados and mineral water—effective December 1, 2017. (See Financial Times (subscription required) and S. News.) The import tariffs will average 7.7%, down from the current 17.3%. In addition to foods, the reduced tariffs will impact selected health supplements, pharmaceuticals, clothing items, shoes and other consumer … Continue Reading
As previously covered on this blog, as part of a deal to resume U.S. beef exports to China, the U.S. pledged that it would remove obstacles to importing cooked Chinese poultry meat. In support of this pledge, on June 16, 2017, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) published a proposed rule (82 FR 27625) amending its inspection regulations to … Continue Reading
As background, China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) supervises and regulates the production of food-related products, such as food packaging materials, containers and food processing tools throughout China. AQSIQ also oversees the safety and quality of food imports and exports and collects and analyzes information on the safety of food imports … Continue Reading
As part of a deal to resume U.S. Beef exports to China, the U.S. recently pledged that it would remove obstacles to importing cooked Chinese poultry meat. (See previous blog coverage here.) Currently, China is only eligible to export poultry products to the U.S. that have been processed from birds slaughtered in U.S. establishments or at slaughter … Continue Reading
As previously covered on this blog, U.S. beef has been denied access to China for nearly 14 years due to concerns stemming from a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy that occurred in Washington state in December 2003. Following a series of talks between U.S. and Chinese officials, the White House recently announced that China would resume beef imports … Continue Reading
As previously covered on this blog, late last week, the White House announced that China would resume beef imports no later than July 16, 2017 as part of a broader trade agreement with China. In return, the U.S. pledged that it will remove obstacles to importing cooked Chinese poultry meat. In response, Food & Water Watch issued a statement expressing … Continue Reading
As previously covered on this blog, U.S. beef has been denied access to China for nearly 14 years due to concerns stemming from a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy that occurred in Washington state in December 2003. In September 2016, China announced that it had lifted its ban on imports of U.S. beef, but attempts to negotiate the … Continue Reading
As previously covered on this blog, U.S. beef has been denied access to China since 2003. Last September, China announced that it had lifted its ban on imports of U.S. beef, but attempts since then to negotiate the technical terms of access have faltered and so American beef producers are effectively blocked from selling any U.S. beef … Continue Reading
U.S. beef has been denied access to China since 2003. Last fall, China announced that it had lifted its ban on imports of U.S. beef, but attempts since then to negotiate the technical terms of access have faltered and so American beef producers are effectively blocked from selling any U.S. beef to Chinese consumers. On … Continue Reading
New Chinese food safety law took effect on October 1, 2015. On October 1, 2015, China’s Food Safety Law (FSL) took effect. As the fundamental law regulating food safety in China, the revised FSL provides the basic legal framework for food safety supervision and management. The law is being implemented via regulations and national food … Continue Reading
