An official of the Hebei Province's quality inspection agency
told reporters in Shijiazhuang on Friday that the two batches of
dumplings involved in food poisoning in Japan were unlikely to have
been contaminated during the transportation process in China.
Investigations had shown that the dumplings were kept in the
shipping container after they left the manufacturer, Tianyang Food
Plant, and the inspection and quarantine authority of Hebei
Province made sure that the door and seal of the container were
intact when the shipment arrived at the customs facility.
The customs officials followed the rules, checked the
documentation for the goods and let the container through without
opening it, the official told a press conference.
Earlier this month, Japanese and Chinese investigators inspected
the company but found nothing irregular. They also found no
problems related to the purchase of raw materials or the production
process.
Di Menglu, head of the dumpling maker, quoted an announcement
from the Japanese Ministry of Education dated Feb. 6, which said
that other schools serving dumplings from the same batches did not
report any poisoning cases.
Earlier tests showed the rest of the dumplings from the same
batches sold in Japan, totaling more than 2,000 packages, were
safe. So were all the other products made by the Chinese
company.
(Xinhua News Agency February 15, 2008)
