SEOUL - The Chinese
foodstuff scare among South Korean consumers has
risen to a new high with the recent discovery of
parasite eggs found in Chinese-made kimchi.
The Korea Food and Drug Administration
(KFDA), the state-run food watchdog, said October
21 that the eggs of three parasites - roundworm,
hookworm and trichostrongylus orientalis (a
parasitic worm that can grow up to about 1 cm) -
had been found in some imports of Chinese kimchi.
Authorities have ordered the recall and
destruction of all the contaminated products.
All three species found are intestinal
parasites, which lay millions of eggs in the
intestinal tracts of infected animals. When the
animals defecate, the eggs are deposited in soil,
where they can remain viable for years until they
stick to the leaves of a vegetable
which is eaten by
another animal, which then becomes infected. In
the current case, it is believed that the
traditional practice, still common in China, of
using night soil (human feces) to fertilize
vegetables led to the Chinese cabbage leaves being
contaminated with the parasite eggs. According to
Ehwa Woman's University parasitologist Yang
Hyun-jong, "When contaminated by such worms there
is no great harm, but you can have intestinal
problems such as stomachaches and vomiting. In
particular, when infected with hookworms, you
might get anemia."
The disclosure by the
food authorities came as a shock in South Korea
where kimchi, a traditional side dish of spicy
fermented vegetables, is consumed with almost
every meal. Kimchi imports from China have
skyrocketed this year, according to government
statistics released October 23. From January
through September, imports from China of South
Korea's main side dish amounted to 85,266 tons, up
79.1% from the same period last year. China
accounted for almost all of the 85,296 tons of
kimchi imported from overseas during the period.
However, kimchi is not the only item that
comes from the neighboring country. Some
restaurants have been reported to be preparing
nearly all their dishes with goods and vegetables
imported from China. According to the KFDA, the
imports of fresh produce from China reached
357,500 tons as of September, four times the
amount of kimchi imported from the country. Last
year, Chinese food imports accounted for nearly
16% of South Korea's entire foodstuff imports.
Fish from China, some of which in recent months
has been reported to be contaminated with the
carcinogen malachite green, amounted to 38.3% of
the nation's total marine product imports.
Skeptics are saying that other food
products from China are very likely to be
contaminated with similarly hazardous substances,
and doubt food production facilities in China are
sufficiently sanitary. "I believe that the
sanitary conditions of kimchi production
facilities were probably not up-to-par in terms of
hygiene," said Park Gun-Young, a food and
nutrition professor at Pusan National University.
"There needs to be an overall inspection of
sanitary conditions for all the foods made in
China," he added.
Korean government,
importers' greed also blamed However,
fingers cannot be pointed at Chinese manufacturers
alone. Industry experts say that South Korean
importers are demanding their Chinese partners
supply them with food at absurdly cheap prices,
forcing the quality of the products to decline.
"There are some importers that leave the business
with jackpot profits earned from a single
shipment," said an official from the Ministry of
Health and Welfare, hinting that importers are
very unlikely to be interested in public health.
According to industry sources, the grim reality is
that Chinese businesses are catering to the
absurdly demanding orders of South Korean
importers. "We have given up [taking] orders from
South Korea as they are demanding a price cut in
our shipments no matter what," said an official
from Gyeongbok Palace Kimchi, a kimchi producer
based in the Chinese city of Qingdao.
The
poor inspection of imports by the government
authorities is another factor generating fears
among South Korean shoppers. The KFDA's screening
process for imported food safety is currently
focused on inspecting for coloring or pigmentation
and antiseptics. It is generally conducted through
the screening of paperwork or by visual and
olfactory inspection of the food.
Shockingly, the entire Korean government
apparatus responsible for inspecting the safety of
food imported from China is a single grade-five
public servant at the KFDA. But according to some
analysts, this is only one manifestation of a
larger problem. Even as food regulations in other
nations have become stricter, South Korea has gone
in the opposite direction, abolishing up to 100
food-related regulations since 1998.
Civic
groups and academics are demanding comprehensive,
detailed measures to strengthen the country's
nearly defunct food safety inspection process.
"Previous food-related policies have been too
guided by demands for administrative efficiency
and to accommodate the business sector," said Lee
Ji-Yeon, an official from the Korean Federation of
Environmental Movement. "The new food safety law
currently being developed by lawmakers should
include a systematic plan to fill up the holes in
the current system," she added.
Lee
Young-Eun, a food nutrition professor at Wonkwang
University, called on the government to "engage in
a collaborative and coordinative action among its
eight ministries and organizations related to food
and safety." Lee Min-Suk, a food nutrition
professor at Korea University, added that "the
related agencies should strengthen safety
inspections at the place of origin."
Incident causes anti-Chinese
sentiment The contaminated-kimchi affair
has led to an unusual outburst of anti-Chinese
sentiment in South Korea, with internet users
calling for a halt to trade with China or a
boycott of Chinese goods. One office worker
surnamed Kim said, "After lead [referring to an
earlier food contamination incident involving
lead], and now parasites, I don't have anything
else to say. We should officially protest to China
and receive an apology from them."
Other
Koreans even said they would no longer eat kimchi
prepared outside their own homes. (Traditionally,
Koreans make kimchi themselves for their own
family's consumption, although this centuries-old
tradition has faded somewhat in recent years.)
Still others said they would stop eating kimchi
entirely - a tremendous sacrifice for Koreans
given the food's centrality in Korean cuisine.
Another Internet user said, "Since there is no way
to find out whether the kimchi served in [a]
restaurant is Chinese or Korean, the only thing to
do is not eat it."
