The Chinese government and food safety authorities have recently been cracking down on the food imports brought in from several different companies.
In fact, in the newest round of released information, the Shanghai Quarantine Bureau pulled and destroyed tons of food imported by name brand food giants: Kraft, Nestle, and Ikea.
The Kraft Concern
The American based company, Kraft, was a part of the crackdown. Several tons of cream cheese was destroyed in Chinese ports because the products did not have the proper certification and expiration information. However, when the company became aware of the incident, they noted in a public address that these cream cheese products were intended to be used for internal sampling, not for sale to the public. A Kraft spokesman also released a statement of apology over the issue.
The Nestle Company
Nestle also lost copious amounts of food product, including almost three tons of chocolate bars. According to the Shanghai Quarantine Agency, the chocolate bars contained higher amounts of sorbitol than allowed in the country. Sorbitol is a legal sweetener that will cause a variety of stomach and bowel upsets if it is consumed in large amounts. However, it is used regularly in candy bars and other chocolate products by several different companies in addition to Nestle. The Nestle company has not made a statement on the issue.
Ikea, the Furniture Giant
The final company involved in this food destruction was Ikea. The Swedish based company imported chocolate almond cake to China in November and December of 2012. According to Japanese authorities, the cakes contained high levels of coliform.
This bacteria is not inherently dangerous. However, it is an indicator of concern. Coliform generally appears when other bacteria, that comes from animal feces, is also present. This can be a cause for concern that the food could be seriously contaminated.
Recently, the China authorities have been in the news more than usual. Before this incident, the KFC food chain in the country was cited for using chicken with high amounts of antibiotics. That claim has not yet been substantiated, but it did result in a massive drop in sales for the Kentucky Fried Chicken company. The same results could occur for Nestle, Ikea, and Kraft as more consumers learn that the products have been under heavy inspection. In the meantime, the three companies lost several tons of products and were notified to make future changes to their exports.
