Chinese Food Makers Don't Trust China

Exporters Turn To Third Party Certifiers To Convince Leary Importers Top farmed catfish exporters in China are turning to Swiss third-party certifiers in an attempt to re-assure their customers that their product is safe, clean and raised according to appropriate standards. The move suggests that not even Chinese food makers trust the government's ability to police the food supply -- a conclusion that consumers around the world had been coming to after a series of scandals involving tainted pet food ingredients, toothpaste, cough syrup and seafood. The extraordinary move comes after the United States virtually banned imports of farmed seafood from China after it repeatedly found banned antibiotics -- some of them carcinogenic -- in Chinese imports. On the scale of trustworthy countries, Switzerland certainly ranks high in the collective consciousness. Whether that inherent trust can overcome the inherent distrust that now accompanies "Made In China" remains to be seen. Related Stories China Looks In Mirror: Sees Poor Food Safety Candy Has Stealth Ingredients From China Under Pressure, Congress Reconsiders Country-Of-Origin Food Labels SAFE FOOD WATCH: Eye On Pesticides A Special Report Chinese Seafood Imports Halted Toxic Toothpaste Scandal Grows Death Toll From Toxic Cough Syrup Could Be 300 China Cracks Down On Food Makers Apples And Garlic Top Chinese Food Imports Law Hides U.S. Food Origins: From Afghanistan To Zimbabwe