Are Foods From China Contaminated? How To Know What’s Safe To Eat

Contaminated Food Imports

There have been a number of concerns about the safety of food imported from China over the last few decades. Other countries have reported receiving contaminated food, including synthetic beef, chemicals in beverages, and metal and glass in garlic and bamboo shoots. On the Global Food Security Index from 2019, China ranked 38 out of 113 countries for food quality and safety. The United States ranked fourth. (1, 2, 3, 4)

Additionally, China has experienced rapid industrialization over the last three decades. This has led to cadmium contamination in agricultural soils. As a result, much of the rice grown in parts of southern China has a cadmium concentration that is higher than China’s food safety limit. Chronic exposure to cadmium can lead to diabetes, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and chronic kidney disease. (5, 6)

The frequency of imported food from China is high in the United States. In 2017, the U.S. imported $4.6 billion in agricultural products from China. The most-imported foods from China are fruits and vegetables, snacks, spices, and tea. (7)

Food Safety in China

With all of these issues, what is China doing to improve the safety of the food it produces? On May 21, 2019, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council released new safety guidelines. The “Opinions on Deepening Reform and Strengthening Food Safety Work” outline how the country will improve its food safety risk assessment and meet international standards. (1)

These guidelines, as well as updates to the Food Safety Law, communicate that this is an area of priority for the Chinese government. They outline strict measures for reform, such as aligning with the World Health Organization’s standards for veterinary drugs and pesticide residue. The country plans to strictly supervise the entire supply chain including food processing, storage, and delivery. (1)

Additionally, China hopes to disincentivize food safety violations by increasing fines. Beijing will also evaluate local officials on how well they encourage food safety compliance, as well as punish officials who don’t respond to food safety issues correctly. (1)

Avoiding Contaminated Food

Today, the U.S. imports about 15% of its food supply. Food imports come from more than 200 countries and account for 32% of the fresh vegetables, 55% of the fresh fruit, and 94% of the seafood that Americans eat each year. (8)

Because so much of our food is imported, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has developed strategies for regulating food imports. And the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act has allowed the FDA to prevent food contamination rather than just reacting after it has occurred. (8)

But even with the FDA’s monitoring, contaminated food can still slip through. In order to avoid contaminated food, here are a few tips: (9)

Focus on eating fresh, whole foods, and make meals from scratch. Companies often don’t have to divulge where ingredients originated from on labels, so processed foods can contain foods from anywhere.
Check the label. Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) is a law that requires retailers to mark which countries certain foods come from. Some of the foods covered by the law are fruits and vegetables, fish, and some meats. If a food you want to buy isn’t labeled with its country of origin, ask someone at the store where it’s from.