U.S corporations scrutinize their imports from China

By Nelson D. Schwartz | International Herald Tribune
01 July 2007

NEW YORK: General Mills, Kellogg, Toys "R" Us and other big U.S. companies are increasing their scrutiny of thousands of everyday products they receive from Chinese suppliers, as widening recalls of items like toys and toothpaste force them to focus on potential hazards that were overlooked in the past.

These corporations are stepping up their analysis of imported goods that they sell, making more unannounced visits to Chinese factories for inspections and, in one case, pulling merchandise from U.S. shelves at the first hint of a problem.

General Mills is testing for potential contaminants that it did not look for previously, although it would not name the substances. Kellogg has increased its use of outside services that scrutinize Chinese suppliers and has identified alternative suppliers if vital ingredients become unavailable. And Toys "R" Us recently hired two senior executives in new positions to oversee procurement and product safety, mainly for goods made in China.

"We're thinking in new ways about this," said Tom Forsythe, a spokesman for General Mills. "We're looking for things we didn't look for in the past."

A Kellogg spokeswoman, Kris Charles, confirmed that retailers had asked whether the company used ingredients from China that were banned by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States, including wheat gluten and soy protein.

The company had not, Charles said, but Kellogg took the extra step of scrutinizing the ingredients that it does import from China, like vitamins, honey, cinnamon, water chestnuts and freeze-dried strawberries. It also screened its Chinese suppliers for any links to the recent pet food recall.

The discovery over the last few months of tainted or defective products from China - including toothpaste, tires, toys and fish - has prompted U.S. lawmakers to fault companies for compromising quality in their quest for inexpensive imports and higher profits.

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