| Submit your comments on this article |
| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Ministry finds parasite eggs in |
| 2005-11-04 |
| And here I was, thinking this would be about North Korea’s latest espionage program. Sixteen Korean kimchi products, out of 502 tested, have been found to contain parasite eggs, the health ministry and Korea Food & Drug Administration announced yesterday. The recent kimchi scare, which started after the Korean government found parasite eggs in 30 Chinese-made kimchi products in October, has induced the Chinese government to ban the import of 10 food products from Korea in apparent retaliation. That’s the Chinese way. Sell crappy products to people, and when you’re called on it, intimidate the victim. However, the ministry also announced that most parasite eggs contained in both Korean and Chinese-made kimchi proved to be harmless to the human body, as they were immature and lacked parasite larvae. Youn Hee-jeong, a professor of veterinary medicine at Seoul National University, said, "People who eat kimchi containing immature parasite eggs are 100 percent safe because those eggs are excreted from the human body." The government's hasty inspection on Chinese-made and Korean kimchi products came in October after Ko Kyoung-hwa, a Grand National Party representative, warned of possible contagion in imported vegetables. However, the government announced the result of inspection without thoroughly examining whether the eggs were harmful to humans. The Food and Drug Administration "created excessive frenzy among people because it announced the result without thorough consideration and the parasite eggs are not actually damaging," said Hong Sung-tae, a professor of medicine at Seoul National University. Authorities said nine Korean kimchi products contained dog or cat roundworm, three had unidentified parasite eggs, and four others had roundworm eggs, which were not identified as being from humans or animals. Hey! I usually have to pay extra for that. Mr. Youn said, "The roundworm found in those four products are likely to be pig roundworm from using pig's excrement as manure, because only a limited number of Koreans [0.05 percent] have roundworm." The Korea Food & Drug Administration said it seized 472 kilograms of Korean kimchi and ordered manufacturers to sell only products without parasite eggs. The 16 domestic kimchi producers accused of producing kimchi containing parasite eggs were embarrassed at the news as most of them are small-sized manufacturers and therefore highly likely to close their business at the foreseeable flood of purchase cancellations. The companies argued the government should first establish a parasite inspection system because parasite contagion is difficult to check for with the human eye. A manufacturer based in North Chungcheong province, said, "We will all be dead if the government just announce results like this without any proper system to inspect kimchi's safety." Large discount stores and cafeteria catering companies have already recalled kimchi supplied by the 16 manufacturers listed in the government's report. In response to the announcement by the Korean government revealing some Korean kimchi also contains parasite eggs, China's Beijing News reported, "As most ingredients for Korean kimchi are exported from China, the kimchi scare will affect both Korea and China." The newspaper, which reported about the kimchi scare for a full page, said, "Korean and Chinese kimchi are being withdrawn from high-end markets in Europe and Japan. Both countries of manufacture should maintain the good image of kimchi by keeping its quality." The Japanese broadcast media also reported the news that Korean kimchi had been found to contain parasite eggs. That news will give a negative image of Korean kimchi to Japanese customers, said a broadcaster. The Japanese government has not announced any official reaction to the news. Last year, the Japanese government imposed a temporary ban on Korean dumplings after some were found to contain unsanitary ingredients. But, unlike China, Korea didn’t immediately retaliate by placing import barriers on Japanese goods. Some Japanese customers responded sensitively to the news by calling the Japanese branch of the Korea Agro-Trade Corporation in Tokyo. The Korea Agro-Trade Corporation said, "We will inform Japanese customers that only one out of 100 Korean exporters to Japan was found to produce kimchi containing parasite eggs, and we will immediately order the suspension of operation of that exporter." Korea's kimchi exports amounted to $120 million last year with 95 percent of that exported to Japan. Kimchi, it’s not just for breakfast anymore! |
| Posted by:Zenster |
| #7 Anybody that eats that crap deserves whatever they gat. |
| Posted by: mojo 2005-11-04 23:17 |
| #6 Just when you thought Joe no longer made any sense, he goes and posts this ... |
| Posted by: Zenster 2005-11-04 23:03 |
| #5 So losing vital muscle/body mass vv Commie- and Norkie-beloved SOLYENT GREEN isn't enough, the starving NK masses now have to be biotic-living nests or gestation areas for fat Kim's fav buggies!? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2005-11-04 20:41 |
| #4 Just a little extra protien... Nothing to see here... |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2005-11-04 19:21 |
| #3 yummie |
| Posted by: kimmie 2005-11-04 19:18 |
| #2 as long as they're listed on teh ingredients... "contains 100000% RDA Roundworm, parasite eggs..." |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-11-04 19:15 |
| #1 Mmmmmm, parasite eggs! |
| Posted by: Pheling Ometh3043 2005-11-04 18:02 |