Food Law News - UK - 2002


FSA News Item, 22 July 2002

IMPORTED FOOD / RECALL - Illegal pork imports investigated

The Food Standards Agency Scotland is currently co-ordinating an investigation into the illegal distribution of imported tins of pork products manufactured in China.

This follows notification from Glasgow City Council Environmental Health Department that these products were found in premises in the city. Unless there is EU approval, products cannot be legally imported into the EU/UK from China. Neither beef, lamb nor pork have EU approval.

Information to date has not found imported Chinese pork to be linked to any human illness. However, the product does not come from an approved plant as defined by the EU and should, therefore, not be on sale in this country.

The Agency is working with local authorities to gather information about the wholesale distribution and ports of entry of the products. Earlier today local authorities were asked by the Agency to remove any Chinese pork product from the market place.

Illegal imports are a serious issue and anyone finding evidence of products imported illegally into the UK should report it to their local authority.

The following Product Recall has been issued by the FSA (Scotland)

Category C: For Action Deemed Necessary

Heads of Environmental Health Services will wish to be aware that illegally imported tins of pork from the Peoples Republic of China have been found in Chinese wholesalers and supermarkets in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Investigations are ongoing at present, however we are not aware of the product being found anywhere else in Scotland.

The products are illegal by virtue of there being no premises in China currently approved for the importation of beef, lamb and pork into the EU.

There is no evidence that the products found present any animal or public health risk, however they do not come with the assurances of approved plants and therefore are considered to be suspect.

Further information on import controls of food products can be found on the DEFRA website

The details of the products are as follows:

Products:

Brand Name:

Import and Export Company Limited

(Please note that some cans have detailed 'Shenzhen Cereals', rather than 'Zhejiang Cereals')

The tin sizes found were 397g and 340g.

All codes are affected.

THIS PRODUCT LIST AND BRAND MAY NOT BE EXHAUSTIVE

Action to be taken by local authorities where deemed necessary:

Action taken by the Food Standards Agency


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