India, Mexico Ahead Of China On Food Products Rejected By U.S.

Official records show that India and Mexico top the list of countries whose defective food products are rejected by the United States. Surprisingly, China, which is being hammered for defective food exports to the United States, comes only third in the list available from U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The New York Times, quoting the FDA, reported on Thursday that the federal agency rejected a total of 1,763 food shipments from India in the 12-month period ending in June this year. Mexico come in second with 1,480 shipments followed by China, whose 1,368 shipments were rejected by the U.S.

However, the FDA did not reveal the quantity of the products rejected.

The Dominican Republic, Denmark, Vietnam, Japan, Italy and Indonesia follow China down the list for shipping contaminated or mislabeled food products.

The New York Times report says some of India’s spices, seeds, and shrimp contained salmonella. Mexico’s seafood, chillis, and cheese were found too filthy to eat, while Chinese products like seafood, bean curd and noodles were also dirty.

By contrast, China sent more products, including foods, to the U.S. than any of those countries, in terms of quantity and dollar value. While China shipped goods worth a total of $288 billion to the U.S. in 2006, India’s exports were valued at only $22 billion.