A brave Chinese journalist weighs in

from Can the U.S. guarantee food safety in China?
by Lian Yue, Chinese journalist, translated from the Chinese on Danwei. This ran in state-controlled media, which is impressive.

After The New York Times published explosive special reports about medicine and food safety in China, a huge problem that faces ordinary Chinese people has finally became a international issue. It's a shocking reminder of how small the world has become: Chinese people can get to know China through The New York Times; Americans can get sick by eating toxic food from China. Nobody was surprised when the vice director of GAQSIQ (General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of PRC, ??????) responded that the Chinese government "pays close attention to consumers' safety and works hard all the time to guarantee the quality of products and health of people." No one wants to lose face, I can understand this kind of excuse. But perhaps it would be more praiseworthy if they admitted the problems that everyone knows exist.

Based on the theory that everyone is equal, the Chinese food producers have poisoned everyone, whether Chinese or American. So Americans have been forced to pay attention the Chinese food safety issue. This makes many people have hope, thinking that the food safety problem will at last be solved.

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I don't want to beat this issue of imported (and domestic!) food safety to death, but I do hope I am contributing to enough heightened awareness and concern so that no one will suffer or perish from imported food and food component contamination.

The issue is financially and politically charged and powers that be are on notice. If you are an American and have an American address, you can add your voice to the demand for better food safety precautions by joining Consumers Union's campaign of emailing members of Congress. Click through to Not in My Food!, fill in your name & address, personalizing the email with your own comments (or not) and click Send. CU will get it to your particular congresspersons. We can and will do better.