Beijing, Dec 8 - Chinese product safety authorities have seized several batches of contaminated European food imports, and are also recalling all Irish pork products following a tainting scare there, the government said on Monday.
China has been beset by food safety scandals in the past few years, including a recent mass contamination of infant formula by the chemical Melamine in which at least six babies are believed to have died.
But Beijing also likes to point out this is a global issue in which China is a victim too of poor quality imports.
Officials in Shanghai and the southwestern province of Sichuan had discovered problems with some foods imported from Europe, China's quality watchdog said in a statement on its website (www.aqsiq.gov.cn).
The goods affected included Italian brandy, Spanish dairy products, Belgian chocolate and seasoning from Britain, all of which had been tainted with various chemicals, it said.
The affected products have all been recalled or destroyed, the regulator added, giving neither the value of the goods nor saying which companies made them.
Separately, the watchdog said it was banning the import of Irish pork and feed and recalling the 2,047 tonnes of Irish pork imported into China since Sept. 1.
The Irish government on Saturday ordered its food industry to recall all domestically produced pork products from shops, restaurants and plants because of contamination with dioxin, which in some forms and concentrations, and with long exposure, can cause cancer.
Irish pork has been pulled from shelves in up to 25 countries.